A New Destiny
by 00Sakura00
Summary: "She really is beautiful isn't she? Pink hair, emerald eyes...What do you think we should name her?" Her brows knitted together in a thoughtful pause. "Sakura. Haruno Sakura...May your new life in Iwa be a safer one, my darling." OOC Sakura; SasuSakuNaru
1. The Prologue

**This represents my first attempt at writing a fanfic. Compliments and criticisms are welcomed.**

**What you need to know: This is a Sakura-centric story, and encompasses my version of how the story of "Naruto" should have been. Some changes include an OOC Sakura who is a bit more mature than canon Sakura as she lets her intelligence shine through more, a more unified Team 7, and an original plotline gradually incorporated into the story.**

**Public Disclaimer: I Do NOT Own Naruto**

**Chapter 1 updated 7/2/2011**

* * *

_**Prologue**_

Tears of exhaustion and elation trickled down Haruno Maya's flushed cheeks. "Seiyu!" she called, her voice hoarse from the hours of labor she had endured. "Look at her…look at what we did. She's so beautiful." The woman hugged her newborn tenderly.

"Yes Maya," answered her husband, enraptured in the awe of this miracle as he smiled at his new family. "Beautiful, just like her mother…although I have no clue where the pink hair came from." The man raised a questioning eyebrow at his wife. "She _is_ mine, right?"

Maya playfully knocked her husband on his arm in reproach. "Please don't make me have to beat you senseless five minutes after giving birth. Honestly."

"All right, I give…but she really is beautiful isn't she? Pink hair…emerald eyes…she's definitely unique. What do you think we should name her, honey?"

Maya screwed her eyebrows together in a thoughtful pause, looking down at her daughter once again. She was greeted by a shy smile, which she reciprocated. "Sakura. You are Haruno Sakura."

Three months after the attack of the Kyuubi and the death of the 4th Hokage, Haruno Sakura was born. Throughout their marriage, the Haruno's had been living in Konoha, the village Maya called home. But the instability of the village following the Nine-Tails attack prompted the couple to seek an alternative village home. And so, the couple decided to relocate their new family to the Village Hidden in the Rocks, the place Seiyu was originally from.

With that decision made, a week after Sakura's birth the Haruno family headed out to their new home.

* * *

**This will hopefully be a two-part story - representing the split between "Naruto" and "Naruto: Shippuden." ****A New Destiny**** presents Part I. This story is planned to be quite lengthy, with romance slow to follow and an ultimate pairing of either SasuSaku or NaruSaku. Enjoy!**


	2. Everything Falls Apart

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. That belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. **

**RE-WRITE: 7/30/11**

* * *

_**Everything Falls Apart**_

8 years later…

Tiny, sandaled feet hustled down the stone streets of Iwagakure. The small but purposeful strides were interrupted only by the occasional sidestep, as the walker zoomed past the few street walkers interspersed on the village walkway.

The girl halted briefly, huffing from exertion as her emerald eyes scanned the sky. Bursts of bright orange speckled with rays of light pink painted the skies above her. _It's almost sunset,_ thought the girl, brushing a stray lock of pink from her face. _I have to hurry if I'm going to make it in time._

Her eyes returned to her immediate surroundings before she started forward once again, her legs briskly carrying her along the all-too-familiar route to her destination.

As she continued to make her way, her ears vaguely registered a small voice calling amid the pitter-patter of her light footsteps. It tickled her consciousness but was not enough to draw her attention away from her current mission.

Then the sound grew more distinct.

"Saku-chan! Saku-chan wait up!"

The eight-year-old Haruno Sakura rounded on her heals in response to her name. She recognized the familiar voice instantly; it did belong to her best friend, after all. The pinkette remained stationary, allowing her chaser to catch up to her.

"You could have waited, you know!" called the other girl, skating to a stop before her friend. Her hands grasped her knees as she bent forward, her shoulder-length blonde hair falling forward as she fought to catch her breath. "Just a (pant) bit longer. I, (pant) I woulda made the trip with you."

Sakura watched her breathless friend with a slightly amused look, her lips curling into a small smile. "It's pretty sad for a future ninja to get winded so easily, Usa-chan. You really need to train more."

Usagi's sea blue eyes resurfaced from the floor, a tiny glint blazing within them. "Well excuse _me_ for sprinting full-speed all the way from the playground to be able to accompany my best friend to her objective. Sheesh, you can be so ungrateful, Saku-chan."

The candy-haired girl chuckled lightly at Usagi's attempt to feign offense. "You know I'm only teasing, silly." With Usagi's huffing no longer existent, the two friends jointly progressed forward. "And I really am sorry for leaving," she continued, "but I did warn you that I had to get going soon. And you seemed so wrapped up talking to Yamato-kun, I didn't want to interrupt."

The blonde wrinkled her nose in disagreement. "You're way more important to me than Yama-kun. I woulda dropped her faster than a dirty diaper if I knew you were leaving."

Sakura muffled another giggle. "Usa-chan, you don't mean that. That's not nice at all."

The girl in question shrugged her shoulders. "I'm just saying the truth. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you, Saku-chan. You are, after all, one of my most special people."

Sakura turned shyly to her friend beside her, watching the small girl continue to march forward. A blissful expression decorated the blonde's face, and she shifted her eyes toward her best friend just as Sakura deflected her gaze away from her warily.

Silence enveloped the two for a moment.

"Since I'm not out-of-breath anymore, we should probably start running again if you're gonna make it," suggested Usagi brightly.

The pinkette nodded. "Good idea. I promise not to go so fast this time." The girls hastened forward.

"I'm always so jealous of how fast you can run," commented Usagi as they jogged.

Sakura shook her head. "Well…I _am_ taller than you. So it makes sense."

"Nah, it's not just that. You're the fastest of all our friends. Not even the boys can beat you."

Sakura's cheeks flushed bashfully. "I…guess…" she choked.

Usagi only chortled in amusement. "Oh, Saku-chan….anyways, we should really pick up the pace, don't 'ya think?" she asked, as the two rounded a corner, barely missing a street vendor.

"You sure you're okay with that?" inquired Sakura apprehensively. "You aren't exactly…in your element when it comes to footwork."

Usagi scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I'll be _fine_. Just lead the way. I don't want you to get there after it closes."

The pinkette stole an anxious look at her best friend before she quickened her pace, dashing forward with Usagi close behind.

Sakura always enjoyed a good run. Even as they sprinted now, a smile graced her lips at the rush of cool wind to her face as it coursed through her wave of pink tresses. Her heart rate sped but remained steady, acclimated to the welcomed strain of physical effort.

As they continued to race down an emptier street, her body told her it could manage greater speeds. However, the frequent wheezes she registered not too far behind her arrested those urges. "You all right there, Usa-chan?"

"Haha…of course I am!" she called with fervor, wiping a telltale bead of sweat from her brow. "No (pant) problem!"

The Haruno smirked. "As long as you're sure. Hey, and be careful on this road. It's a bit steeper than the others. And with all the gravel on it, it makes it easier to-"

_Crash!_

"…fall over…"

* * *

A solitary pair of feet ambled slowly on the vacant street. The sky had darkened considerably, save for the wisps of pink that streamed through the deepened purple. One-by-one the streetlights glowed to life, revealing the two lone persons on the road.

The large figure came to a standstill in front one of the buildings on the corner. The windows were blackened, an atypical quietness shrouded the building. A large wooden sign stood resolutely before the structure.

**Village News, Printing Press and Mail**

A glimmer of disappointment briefly flashed through Sakura's evergreen orbs as they noted the voidance of bustle and activity. Her body reacted by drifting away from the closed building as she made her way home.

"I'm so so so sorry, Saku-chan," came a voice behind her head, uncharacteristically lackluster. "This is all my fault…"

The pink-haired girl shifted her head as best she could to address the person draped atop her back. "It's totally _not_ your fault, Usa-chan. If anything, I'm the one who should feel guilty. It's because of me that you fell and hurt your leg." The girl's emerald irises flickered to the bruised and swollen ankle dangling at her side. "I just hope it doesn't give too much trouble healing."

Usagi shook her head so vehemently Sakura could feel her entire body wiggling on top of her. "Don't even think that way. You know I'm way better with my hands. But on my feet I'm a total klutz. If you weren't carrying me on top of your back, you would have made it before the mailroom closed."

"But if I didn't wait till so late, we wouldn't have had to run so fast over here."

"And if I weren't so chatty at the playground, we would have been able to leave earlier," the blonde retorted.

Sakura sighed in exasperation. "We're not ever going to agree on this, are we?"

Usagi's chest rumbled with the sound of laughter, her mood lightening. "I suppose not. So anyway, why were you so hung up to get your letter sent today in the first place? There's always tomorrow."

"Yea…" answered Sakura uneasily, "I just really wanted to get it sent as soon as possible. I've been sorta anxious about him…"

"You're talking about that boy from the Sand Village you met last year, aren't you?"

The petal-haired girl nodded. "After we first met, he used to send me letters almost every week. But lately…I just don't know. Before the one I got from him the other day, I hadn't heard from him for a whole month. And the things he writes now…he just sounds…so…desperate almost…which is why I wanted to get a response to him quickly…"

Usagi's lips dipped into a sad frown, visualizing the defeated expression that was surely splashed on her fretful friend's face. "Saku-chan…you always worry so much about people. It'll all work out, you'll see. You just gotta stay positive."

Sakura jostled Usagi on her back a bit, tightening her sliding grip on the girl. Otherwise, she gave no response, wrapped in her troubled thoughts.

The injured girl allowed a few frustrating seconds of silence before she snapped. "Hey, I said stay positive!" The exclamation jolted the pinkette out of her reverie, halting her movements. "You need to stop feeling so sorry about the whole thing. If anything, you should feel so great that he has you to help him out instead of dealing with everything on his own. Just hang tough and don't give up!"

"But…" answered Sakura quietly, sauntering forward once again. "Usa-chan…my spirit just…it isn't as strong as yours. You said it yourself…I'm really good at running away…"

Usagi gave an aggravated sigh. "I said you were good at _running_, not running away. That's different. And you're so much stronger than you think."

Sakura allowed another span of silence as she chewed over Usagi's words.

"Hey…Usa-chan?"

"Yea?"

"You called me one of your special people before."

"What of it?" asked the blonde, tossing her fleeting frustration at her friend aside as she cocked her head curiously.

"Well…" she continued shyly, "just…just what exactly makes me that…you know…special?"

Usagi giggled, reflecting her absurdity to the question. "What makes you special, huh? Hmm…" A pensive finger rested on her chin in thought. "Well where do I start? You're kind, great at listening, honest, smart, loyal…and you care about people so much that you'll even carry 'em on your back after the stupidly hurt their ankle, even though you're not built for it and they're probably way too heavy for you..."

Sakura slowly shifted her head to the side, Usagi arching forward to greet her gaze with her trademark goofy grin. "You're not that heavy," she mumbled, returning her eyes forward.

"But above all else," continued Usagi, "I know I can always count on you to be there for me, to keep me safe. You just always have my back. And I have yours too…err…no pun intended."

Two light chuckles intermixed between the pair.

"You really think so much of me?" questioned Sakura, their joke having passsed.

"Of course!" answered the blonde fervently. "I have the utmost faith in you." The girl's body relaxed atop her friend's back, encircling her hands into a supportive hug. "Just don't give up…"

Sakura acknowledged the last whisper by nuzzling her friend's cheek with her own. "Thank you…Usagi…"

* * *

Two months later…

Iwagakure echoed with the shrill screams of its citizens. Panic, destruction, violence, murder…in two short months, the peaceful village was whipped into a maelstrom of unreserved chaos and disarray.

The young Sakura had not abandoned the dwindling sanctity of her home since the attacks began eight weeks prior. She was faintly aware of the destruction befalling her village – the occasional boom of an explosion in the distance solidifying her concerns.

Her parents had only told her vague details about the current political climate. She was informed that a civil war was the cause of the recent turmoil. She also knew that different sections of the village were gradually being targeted by the faction. The latter fact was evidenced by the outpouring of individuals into her home. It seemed that every week, there was a new face in the household; a family member, or at times a stranger, would take refuge there because his home had been destroyed.

And as her residence became increasingly crowded, the frightened girl was able to piece together more and more facts about this war. She had more than once overheard the hushed conversations of her relatives, as they spoke about the "inhumanly strong faction" and their "wicked leader" who were fighting to take control of Iwagakure.

She also heard mention of the "accursed barrier jutsu" preventing evacuation, and the "horrendous kidnappings" of the village children. During the rare moments that her father was home, Sakura had eavesdropped on her parents discussing this particular matter with great concern.

Her helplessness grew with each passing day, as she agonized over the safety of her family and friends whom she could do nothing to protect. All she could do was have faith, and believe that everything would work out.

It was now late in the evening.

Sakura had just finished cleaning the wounds of her elderly aunt, who had sought refuge in their home earlier that day. She gently guided the frail woman to the large, open room where all the other house occupants sat. Haruno Maya relinquished her seat as she aided her daughter to slowly ease the woman onto one of the couches.

With the mission complete, Maya ruffled her daughter's pink locks good-naturedly, communicating a job well done. As the girl's evergreen eyes looked up at her mother with content, she could not miss the weariness and worry etched into the woman's fatigued face. She appeared paler, as if she had not been sleeping very well. Her long, silvery hair hugged her face dejectedly. Her eyes, a shimmering emerald like her daughter's, seemed to lack the effervescence which typically burned within them.

Through the exhaustion, however, Maya still threw her daughter a warm smile, which the small girl reciprocated.

As Maya returned to her seat, Sakura trotted to the wash room in the back. Determined to be a great helper to her mother, she began cleaning the dirtied and bloodied rags in the washbasin.

Her quiet thoughts were intruded by a sudden crash which sounded a few blocks away. A wave of screams followed afterwards, piercing the air and reverberating through Sakura's very being. The girl gulped with effort, her throat suddenly parched as realization of the looming chaos crept within her. _No…No…they're here!_

Her body went numb with fright; heavy, as if lead were running through her veins. Her heart thumped wildly within her chest as she stood frozen, staring mindlessly at the wall in front of her. Her ears dimly registered scuffling sounds beyond her tiny washing room. It was the incomprehensible screams that followed which finally snapped the petrified girl out of her trance of terror.

She dove to the floor, closing the door to a crack as she instinctively crouched in the corner of the little room. She had both her knees locked to her chest, her eyes peeping through the little opening of the entrance.

A burly rogue smashed into the Haruno's dwelling, a sword in-hand glinting sickly in the dim light of the house. His dark eyes were filled with malice as they quickly scanned the large open room, registering the frightened individuals cowering against the walls. He smiled wryly, the fingers which grasped his weapon twitching with excitement. Sakura only looked on in awe, her mind frozen to the information her senses were registering.

The man swung the weapon callously throughout the room, slashing furniture and people alike, slaughtering the household with malevolent glee. Blood splattered the entire house, spraying through the air and gushing onto the floor. The walls became painted crimson red as Sakura watched her family members, the people she cared so much for, being murdered before her eyes.

Despite how much Sakura wished to look away, she could not tear her gaze from the scene before her. And as she watched, tears streamed profusely down the sides of her pale cheeks. Her quivering fingers held themselves fast to her trembling mouth, withholding the scream that threatened to explode from her vocal cords.

After a few minutes, which felt like an eternity to the shaking girl, everyone in the room was dead except for one: Haruno Maya. As the rogue ninja made his way across the room toward her mother, Sakura was allowed to steal a closer look at the murderous man, only to find that she was not certain if she could classify him as a man at all. His body was covered with black markings, and his eyes were cold, unfeeling, ruthless and filled with darkness.

As her peering eyes flickered from her crouched mother to the monster approaching her, the girl's thoughts became frantic. Her horror-stricken mind was inching to process what was about to happen next, but the conclusion was barred by the maelstrom of fear within her.

The rogue stopped before the young woman, looking into her terrified eyes with a smirk. He raised his blade above her slowly, relishing every second.

"Time to die."

Sakura's body jerked forward frightfully in time with the swinging sliver of metal. Her forehead crashed into the doorknob as the weapon hit its mark, slashing through the woman's heart. Sakura's world went mute as she watched the blood explode from her mother's chest, Maya's lifeless body falling to the floor.

This was more than Sakura could take. Her head swung from side to side, shaking in rejection of what she had just witnessed. Her heart ached inside; it felt like a part of her had also been cut away away as well. Yet the whole in her heart felt so heavy.

Her swollen eyes widened in horror as the ninja turned his head, emerald meeting his beady, yellow eyes.

She choked. _He knows I'm here. W-What do I do? He's… he's..._

Opening the door, the rogue ninja looked down at the sobbing little girl beneath him. "Hey kid," he croaked, his voice rough and raspy, "you rather die or come with me? Your choice." The man waited for a response, but Sakura just continued staring ahead, not moving, not even flinching, just staring into space.

"Hmph. You don't even look like you're worth taking. And I'd hate to pass up a chance to kill." The shinobi chuckled in amusement. "Farewell, brat!"

Sakura's eyes squeezed shut, not daring to look on at her inevitable fate.

But just as the sword was about to make contact, Sakura heard a clash of metal hitting metal. Slowly, her eyelids slid open. Her hazed vision cleared to reveal none other than her father, her all-time hero, standing before her and blocking the impending blade with his kunai.

"Don't worry, Sakura. Daddy's here now. Just hide back here and wait for me, sweetie. I'll take care of this guy, I promise," Seiyu said, giving her a toothy smile before turning back to the rogue before him. His gaze steeled as he screwed his eyebrows together in concentration and forced the sword-wielding ninja out of the washing room and away from his daughter. Her father threw her another assuring smile before leaping out the room, shutting the small door behind him.

Sakura's body shook, from both hope and fear. She had seen what this gruesome ninja was capable of, firsthand. However, the crashes and clanks that came from the other room also reminded her that her father was a force to be reckoned with as well. He was a highly decorated jounin of his village, and he would not go down easily. The little girl silently cheered for him, hands clasped tightly as she prayed that fate would look favorably upon her family at least once tonight.

More sounds of fighting met her ears, followed by shouts. Most of the sounds were not wholly discernable; however the last bellow rang completely clear. "Ninja Art: Twin Shadows Mutual Death!"

The pink-haired girl's eyes shot open, her breath catching in her throat. Her father told her about this particular technique before. She knew what it meant. _No…No Dad! Not that jutsu!_

Before realizing what her body was doing, her fingers grasped the doorknob and swung the wooden board open. Her widened eyes were greeted by the sight of her father, his stomach impaled by the rogue's weapon. His bleeding body fell to the ground, the enemy ninja following suit.

"Wh-What's happening to me?" asked the rogue, squirming as he clutched at his seemingly unharmed abdomen in pain.

Seiyu grinned to himself triumphantly, a wet trail of blood lining his chin from his mouth. "That's what you get for threatening my little girl, and killing my family. That jutsu, when performed just before a death blow, drains the life out of the enemy just as the user's life force also slips away. You end here, but sadly…agh…so do I."

Sakura's body was paralyzed, her feet anchored to the floor but her legs feeling too weak to support her. She could not think, she could not feel, she could not breathe. She just stood at the doorframe, staring helplessly at the dying form of her father.

Seiyu sensed his daughter's gaze; he knew she was watching. "Sakura…" he called, mustering as much calmness as he could, given the current circumstances. "…I need you to listen to me very carefully, okay? You must stay in this house until the war is over. Because of its condition, none of our enemies will suspect anyone alive is in here. When everything eventually calms down in the village and we finally drive out the traitors, I want you to go to Konoha, your mom's village. There are a few of her relatives still living there. They will… take good care of… y-" Seiyu suddenly started coughing out blood. He knew his time was almost up. But for the sake of his daughter, he used all the strength left in him to press forward.

"Your mom and I anticipated something like this possibly happening (gasp) so if you go into our room upstairs… you'll find a secret compartment (gasp) under our bed with a map outlining your route. There's also a- (gasp) a bag we packed for you and in it is a Konoha headband. Show it to the village guards (gasp) as proof of your familial ties to the Leaf village. In the bag is also a letter for you to (gasp) g-give to the Hokage so he can help you find your family. Do you (gasp) understand, sweetheart?"

Sakura sobbed a weak, "Y-Yes dad…"

"My little flower, I want you to know…you see me and Mom…we never (gasp) wanted to leave you this way. I know life will be hard for you without us, but we're always with you, sweetheart. We'll be in your heart, guiding you, watching over you…and yelling at you when you don't eat your vegetables like you should…haha. Okay, bad time for a joke. Still, just promise me honey (gasp) promise me that you'll keep living, that you'll keep being happy and kind and cheerful. Okay? Promise…me honey. Never forget I…l-lov-…"

Before he could finish his last words, Haruno Seiyu was claimed by death. It was just like his wife, just like the entire Haruno family and almost everyone Sakura knew. And with that realization, the newly orphaned young girl fell to her knees…and wept.

* * *

The rogue ninja retreated from the village a few days later. The occurrence was unexpected, considering the fact that they had been winning, but the reasoning was unknown. Following her father's orders, Sakura had remained in the house until she was eventually discovered by some jounin. After that, she was taken to one of the war-homes setup by the village for those with no place to stay. She did not speak a word when they came and took her, did not sob nor give any indication to the people around her that there was any soul left in her.

To make matters worse, shortly after the end of the war she discovered that her best friend, Usagi, was one of the hundreds of casualties of the war. This caused Sakura to fall even deeper into her depression. The sight of her village alone, empty of her loved ones and filled with destruction and chaos, only added to her pain.

Honoring her father's request, Sakura decided to make her move to Konoha days later. Her possessions, scrolls and mementos of her friends and family were all packed away in a separate bag. A ninja-escort would assist her with that carrier. And before sparing her dilapidated home another wistful glance, Sakura slid the knapsack her parents had set for her onto her shoulders and headed out to the Hidden Leaf.

* * *

**Like I mentioned above, this is a re-written chapter. I am currently working on the remaining chapters, but for now your comments on this would be much appreciated. Thank you!**


	3. Five Years Later

******Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**********RE-WRITE: 3/15/12**

* * *

_**Five Years Later**_

"Your name, please?"

"It's Haruno…H-Haruno Sakura."

A spectacled man rummaged through some files in his desk, his fingers swiftly flitting between the horizontal stack of papers.

The pink-haired teen patiently waited in a chair behind the man's office desk. Her posture was somewhat stiff. Her palms rested delicately in her lap, her shoulders tensed squarely upright.

The short man appeared middle-aged, with short locks of dark brown hair messily splayed about his head. That, coupled with his thin, rounded, partially bent glasses, gave him an air of one whose thoughts were preoccupied by too many important things to obsess about his appearance. Thinking about her assessment, it made sense.

_He is a doctor after all._

The man straightened, having procured the document. He alighted himself on his chair opposite the girl. "Now then," he began, a good-natured smile in place, "shall we begin? I trust you know why you are here, Haruno-san. Or may I address you by Sakura?"

"Sakura is fine," answered the girl, not staring at the man directly as she spoke. "And I'm here for the mandatory psych-evaluation for genin, correct?"

The doctor nodded. "That's exactly right. Once an academy student graduates and becomes a genin, the village requires that this ninja be evaluated by a psychologist in the first three months after graduation and monitored for mental health issues. I'm sure Iruka-sensei has already explained this?"

Sakura nodded weakly.

The doctor's hazel eyes took in the frame of the girl before him, his expression still soft. "There isn't a need to be nervous, Sakura-san. I'm just here to listen to you. It's my role as a certified psychologist of-" The man slapped his forehead. "Ugh, silly me. I completely forgot to introduce myself. I'm so sorry, Sakura-san. My name is Sato Daisuke."

The man stretched his arm across the wooden desk in salutation. The girl accepted his hand, holding it weakly as the doctor gave hers a firm shake.

"Now then," he continued, "this is a more informal session. A chance for me to get to know you better. Can you tell me a bit about yourself?"

"Um…well..." The apprehensive girl averted her gaze from his.

"Let's start with your age," suggested Dr. Sato, his gentle tone unaffected by the girl's timidity. "Tell me about the things you like to do. Your friends perhaps?"

Sakura nodded acknowledgingly. "I-I'm thirteen years old…like most of the graduates this morning," she stated, her eyes focusing on her palms in her lap. "I, um, well, I go to the library a lot to read, um, books…but you probably figured that." The pinkette gave a hollow laugh at her statement.

She could feel the heat from her face. "I-I'm sorry, Sato-sensei."

The doctor gave a sympathetic frown at her mumbled apology, which quickly shifted to a smile. He chuckled. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Sakura-san. I probably do seem a tad intimidating though, huh? I mean, the state of this office alone scares my neat-freak of a wife pretty bad, anyway." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly in response.

Sakura inwardly disagreed with his first statement. The last descriptor she would use for the short, gentle man would be intimidating. She was simply a nervous-wreck when it came to holding a sociable conversation with people, especially adults.

As for the second declaration, the genin was too occupied by her anxiety to acutely notice her surroundings before. But as her eyes briefly scanned the room now, she visibly winced.

"Hahahaha, yeah...the poor woman just about combusts every time she dares to venture in her."

"I…see what you mean," admitted the pinkette. With the haphazardly stacked shelves and towers of parchment in every crevice, it was not difficult to empathize with the woman's situation. The girl muffled a chuckle, her mind's eye formulating an image of a neurotic woman spontaneously bursting into flames at the horrifyingly untidy scene.

"And is it exciting, for you? Finally graduating from the academy, I mean."

"It is." She dared to look up at the man before her, but her gaze barely reached above his collar before it slid back to her lap. "I've been going to the academy for a whole five years now. And I'm really excited to learn some ninjutsu, since I only really know the basic ones."

"Right," commented the doctor. The man skimmed the pages of his opened file. "Your scores are quite impressive in taijutsu though."

Sakura fiddled with the fingers in her lap. "Well, it really was the only thing I could teach myself through books...you know...technique a-and the katas and things."

"That's really diligent of you," commented Dr. Sato, silently noting how the girl's cheeks were beginning to resemble her hair color. "Do you practice a lot with your friends then?"

The rookie genin shook her bowed head. "I train on my own."

"Hmm, yes I suppose that would prove more effective," said the doctor. "I can't imagine finding serious academy students would be easy. Training solo must get lonely though, doesn't it?"

The girl shrugged. "I don't mind it."

"Still, must be a welcomed change getting to work on a team, huh?"

Sakura's eyes surfaced from her lap to the spectacled man, confusion etched in the creases of her brow. "Teams?"

The doctor appeared puzzled himself. Almost immediately afterward, his opened palm met his forehead for the second time that afternoon. "Oh right! That announcement for all the graduates won't be made till tomorrow! I suppose I ruined the surprise didn't I?" Dr. Sato's expression looked pained, lightly scratching above his brow.

Sakura shook her head fervently. "No no, please don't apologize, Sato-sensei."

Dr. Sato's lips stretched into a placid grin. "Then how about you just promise not to mention this to anyone before tomorrow. Deal?"

Sakura bobbed her head weakly in agreement.

Silence rested between the two. The girl shifted uncomfortably in her seat, screwing her lips in thought.

"Is something on your mind, Sakura-san?" asked the doctor, his trained eyes not missing what her body language was communicating.

Sakura's head rose in acknowledgement, but her gaze did not meet his. "Well, yes, k-kind of. See, I was just thinking about-about teams. I mean, why do we have to get put on them anyway?"

"Well for teamwork, of course. And for genin especially, it is of great importance for them to learn to rely on each other and work together to defeat powerful enemies they could not otherwise overcome alone, with their limited skills. Teamwork is indispensible to a ninja, Sakura-san. You understand my position, yes?"

The girl remained quiet, but gave a reluctant nod.

* * *

It was now evening time.

Sakura strolled through the village. The cool breeze whipped through her short locks of pink as she ambled along the decreasingly bustling walkway. Many things had happened to her the last few days, and she felt a need to reflect.

There were the academy exams she had passed earlier that week. She had officially graduated, as evidenced by the Konoha headband she received at the graduation ceremony that morning.

She pulled out the metal plate engraved with the swirling Hidden Leaf insignia, her pride swelling as she traced over the symbol with her finger. It was not the first time she had come into direct contact with such an object. When she first arrived in the Hidden Leaf, it was the Konoha headband she knew to be her father's that allowed her safe entry into the village, after all.

A pang of sorrow rose within her, the memory of that day springing to mind thoughts of her parents. She eyed her own ninja headband in her hands, picturing how proud her parents would have been were they here to celebrate this day with her. Long before their tragic deaths, Maya and Seiyu knew that their daughter's lifelong dream was to become a ninja.

Her fingers gripped the metal plate, her hand shaking at the unfair irony of it all. She had at last reached that pivotal point in her life when her journey of becoming a powerful shinobi would commence.

And the two people she had always imagined would naturally be there when that day arrived, were not.

A silent stream of water slid down her cheek. Her free hand wandered to the wet patch of skin on her face, resting there briefly. She swept the trickle of water aside, brushing her other eye to prevent its unshed tear from also spilling forth.

_You can't do this to yourself, Sakura. You promised no more tears._

The girl eyed the floor before her as she walked, inhaling deeply. _No. No more tears. Tomorrow, my ninja journey finally begins. I just have to focus on that. Nothing else._

A convenience store caught her eye. Craving a little help uplifting her spirits, the girl knew just the item to retrieve. She tucked her Konoha headband in the ninja case that hung on her right hip and entered the store.

Minutes later she emerged from the shop, a cone of chocolate ice-cream and a small bag of sweets in hand. For the young girl, sugar was a Godsend. She would use any excuse she could to rationalize dessert – _"the weather is so depressing"_, _"I got a perfect score on a test"_, _"it's Wednesday"_, anything really. Today, she was using the ever-popular _"I really need a pick-me-up right now."_

The teen lapped at the brown, semi-solid dessert, welcoming its shivery sweetness. She continued along her way, no particular destination in mind. There was a warm, intermittent breeze from the West; it was a typical June evening that perfectly complemented the burst of cold down her throat.

As she strode, a small group of young teens captured her attention. They were brandishing Konoha headbands to each other. _New graduates_, she thought, recognizing a couple nameless faces from her class.

She briefly abandoned her ice-cream cone, her gaze lingering on the assembly of celebrating genin. Watching the graduates laughing with each other triggered something in Sakura's memory. She furrowed her eyebrows in recollection.

_Teamwork..._

That word rolled over and over again in her head since her visit with Dr. Sato that afternoon. Her mind wandered back to that meeting...

"_Teamwork is indispensable to a ninja, Sakura-san. You understand my position, yes?"_

_A silence followed, Sakura pondering on the good doctor's words. The man detected a glimmer of worry in the pink-haired girl's contemplative gaze._

_As he continued to study her further, his circling thoughts become more refined as they finally zeroed in on one promising reason for Sakura's trepidation. "Sakura-san," he began, "do you have many friends at the Academy?"_

_The girl in question inwardly grimaced. "Um, I, well, you see..."_

"_It is quite all right if you have problems making friends, Sakura-san. It takes some of us more time than others to find our social footing."_

"_No, no, it's not that," she corrected. "I just...I don't-"_

_The doctor raised his hand, noting the young genin's struggle to find her words. "Forget I mentioned anything. We'll have many more occasions to discuss this in greater detail. But for now, I have a request of you."_

_The girl gulped, grateful for Dr. Sato's sensitivity but anxious about his appeal. "Yes? What is it?"_

Sticky coolness jolted the girl out of her thoughts, ripping her gaze from the group of genin to her hand. A trail of melted brown meandered from her ice-cream cone and over her held fingers. The girl quickly pressed her lips against the stream to stop it. A few drops of the dessert splashed onto the small bag of sweets hanging from the same hand, but otherwise she escaped unscathed.

Her eyes wandered back to the assembly of joyful youths. As she faced their direction, she began to ponder something. She gripped air at her side, willing her immobile body forward.

It was unresponsive.

The girl squeezed her eyes shut, angry at her own weakness. _Why can't I do this?_

Tearing herself away from the scene, she turned on her heels and bolted in the other direction. She was too distraught to sense the presence directly behind her, nor the wisp of blonde that flitted in and out of her vision. But she did feel the transient pressure of one body against hers, a knock to her chin and an accompanying thud after contact.

The pinkette recoiled but managed to stay on her feet, albeit a bit awkwardly. She looked herself over, rubbing the throbbing area of her chin which she was now certain had hit someone's skull. Her scanning eyes then fell to the floor, where the other victim of the collision lay.

The boy had an odd appearance to him. His hair was chocolate brown, with rays of blonde peaking through. His winced face was equally dark in color, but there seemed to be patches of lighter skin in some areas. She could not make out the color of his eyes as they were adamantly pinched shut, but the girl did notice very faint markings on his cheeks. They looked almost like the whiskers of a feline.

She continued to ogle at the strange boy, who was haphazardly groping his face and head. It made no sense to her, and a corner of her mind feared for the boy's sanity. That was until she caught sight of his palms as he continued to wipe at his face. They too had adopted the brown coloration of his hair and parts of his face. Her eyes shifted to her now lighter hand, finally noticing the empty cone.

Then it all clicked.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry!" she beseeched, tossing her soggy cone to the side as she crouched to aid the boy. "Let me help you with that." Her hands remained suspended in the air, looking for a way to assist but were hesitant on how.

The boy continued sweeping at his face, his efforts making little progress. "Whatever, I'm totally fine. Just go away. I can handle this – grrr – myself. Believe it!"

Sakura was not convinced, watching as his hands went from making strategic wipes to practically clawing at his face. "You're just spreading it around. And it looks like most of it has probably dried up already. We're going to have to get to the river to wash this off you."

The boy stopped moving and gave Sakura a pointed look, even though his eyes were still shut.

"Yes I said _we_," she responded. "You don't honestly think you can make it there with your eyes closed on your own. It's four blocks away."

"I'm a topnotch ninja. I don't need my eyes to get me around."

Sakura sighed, rising to her feet. It was a pathetic sight, she had to admit. He remained seated, turning his sopping head from side to side as if hoping to gain some sense of his orientation before heading off. But he could not quite hide his underlying apprehension beneath his mask of assuredness – or chocolate ice-cream.

"Here," Sakura submitted, outstretching her hand toward him.

A silent pause hung between the two before the boy yielded, raising an arm. The girl grabbed it rather than his dirty palms, pulling at the sleeves of his orange jumpsuit before finally getting him to his feet. She led him to the river.

* * *

"Stop moving around, will you?" pleaded a female voice. "Your constant head jerks aren't making this process any easier."

A groan followed. "I can't help it. The water's really cold, agh, believe it."

Sakura retracted the moistened cloth she had been using to clean the boy's face. She had not been able to get very far, having had little cooperation from the creamed youth. His mouth and nose were now clear, but a layer of dried ice-cream remained on his cheeks, eyes and forehead. And then there was the soup of soggy chocolate and blonde that was his hair.

"I'll do your hair first then," she relented. "Maybe you'll get used to the temperature."

Silence followed, no other sounds registering other than the gentle scraping of cloth against cranium. The river bank was void of all life, save for the two teens seated at the riverside.

Sakura continued to eye the boy as she worked. He clearly did not appreciate having to be cleaned up like a child, let alone by a stranger. She imagined not being able to see must have also added to his sense of vulnerability. Still, the small pout which hung on his thin lips made the scene appear more comical than pitying. The girl had to stifle a giggle.

As the seconds ticked by, Sakura's thoughts rested on another matter, one she had been contemplating for the better part of the evening.

Teamwork.

Friendship.

Those concepts whirled in her head since her appointment with Dr. Sato. He had fervently asserted their importance, especially in the ninja world. It prompted him to make such an unusual request of her that day. Her mind's eye flitted back to that moment in his office.

"_I have a request of you. I'd like for you to converse with someone tonight."_

_The girl blinked back. "C-Converse?"_

_Dr. Sato nodded. "While you're walking around the village this evening, just go and talk to someone, someone you've never really spoken to before."_

"_But," she began quietly. "...but why?"_

_The doctor shook his head, smiling. "The reason isn't that important right now. Can you do that for me, Sakura-san?"_

Her previous attempt to concede his request had failed earlier. Perhaps attempting to approach a band of laughing teens was too much to hope for. But this situation was different. Maybe she would have better luck one-on-one?

She inhaled a quiet but bracing breath. "So, where exactly were you heading off to? I mean before...you know."

He shrugged. "Nowhere. Just walkin' around. What about you?"

"Same," she replied. "And, I really am sorry for messing you up like this. I'm not usually that…clumsy."

"No, no," the boy added feverishly. "It's not your fault at all! It's mine, believe it. I was the one who was running so fast behind you. I just wasn't watching where I was going. A-And then when you turned around I– it's just all my fault. And, and...I ruined your ice-cream too!"

Sakura's eyebrows knitted together. "You're rambling," she stated. "And it's fine, really. In any case, it looks like I got most of the chocolate out of your hair. I can actually tell you're a blonde now. Would you mind if I tried your face next?"

The boy lifted his bowed head, making his face more accessible. "Go for it! I can take it, believe it."

Sakura chuckled before starting. She got the cream off his cheeks first before cupping them so she could move to his eyes. She wielded the rag delicately, wiping the stickiness away as gently as possible.

Before long, all of the boy's features were clearly visible. Well, all but one.

"I think you can open your eyes now," suggested Sakura.

The boy's eyelids hesitantly slid open, revealing a striking pair of sea-blue eyes, as pure as the water body they resembled. Sakura's emeralds stared blankly into them, mesmerized by the familiarity those cerulean orbs brought to the boy's visage.

_Usa-chan._

The blonde openly gazed back, equally captivated by the evergreen gems searching through him. Now that he had his vision to rely on, he finally realized whom he had been talking to all this time. A red tinge burned in his cheeks.

Their faces were so close together; he could hear the soft wisps of air blow past her lips as she exhaled. The heat rising in his face eventually overcame him. He lost balance on his knees and plopped onto his rear.

The sudden movement snapped Sakura into awareness. "Naruto-san, you all right?"

Naruto stared at the girl, disbelief and awe layered thicker on his face than the ice-cream previously was. The pinkette eyed him with an air of confusion as he curled his legs Indian-style to sit on the paved floor. "You-you know my name, Sakura-chan?"

The girl in question blinked back. "Uhh, that isn't so weird is it? We had a few classes at the Academy together. And I mean – you know mine."

Naruto waved his still ice-cream-covered hands in refusal. "I don't mean it's weird or anything like that! I'm just...I wasn't expecting it. I-I didn't think you noticed me."

Sakura screwed her eyebrows together thoughtfully. "You always used to get yourself into so much trouble and disrupt class. How could I not notice?"

The boy grew quiet, and Sakura inwardly grimaced. Maybe that wasn't the model response to give.

"Um, a-and it looks like _you_ noticed _me _too though, huh?"

The boy's breath caught in his throat, his cheeks adopting a deeper shade of rouge. "W-Well yeah, but I...how could anyone _not_ notice you, Sakura-chan?"

"That's probably true," agreed the girl hesitantly. "…pink hair and all." She pulled at one of her short locks for emphasis.

Naruto averted his gaze from hers. He began tracing outlines on the floor with his finger. "It's not just that," he mumbled.

The girl's fingers squeezed and twisted the dampened rag still in her hands. "Ummm hey, I almost forgot," she piped. "Your hands are still filthy. Let me get that for you."

"Y-You don't have to bother with it, Sakura-chan!" He shot to his feet before she even made a move and spun on his heels to face the river, almost toppling over in the process. "I can just wash these here, see? Believe it." He bent over and doused his hands into the channel.

Sakura shrugged at the boy's odd behavior, rising to a stance. His hands flickered dry before the boy turned to face the pinkette.

"So thanks for, well everything. And I'm reeeeally sorry about your ice-cream cone. I, uh, promise to pay you back next time, 'kay?" A moist hand travelled to the back of his neck as he gave a sheepish smile.

_I never really noticed it before_, thought Sakura as she watched the blonde revolve in place and start down the river bank. _Naruto-san...he looks a lot like Usa-chan. _The boy ambled along the waterway, his stride suddenly interrupted by a short tumble forward. A smirk decorated Sakura's face. _…kinda acts like her a lot, too._

She watched the boy recover from his denigrating descent. Her thoughts suddenly fell on the small bag of sweets she had been freighting the entire time. Sparked with an idea, she bound forward to catch up to the blonde youth.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto arrested movement when he noticed her at his side. "What are you...and why are you...?"

A small smile in place, the pinkette forced a sweet into Naruto's hands. "Sorry again for getting ice-cream on you. Good night, Naruto-san." The girl gave a respectful bow and scampered in the opposite direction, the boy gawkily staring at her retreating back as she disappeared into the village.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -


	4. Team 7

******Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**********RE-WRITE: 3/15/12**

* * *

_**Team 7**_

_Why did I do that?_

That question circled Sakura's mind her entire journey home after the ice-cream disaster the night before. Even that morning, as she made her way toward the Ninja Academy, it continued to plague her thoughts.

_I don't really understand it, but I did feel bad about causing him so much trouble. Giving Naruto-san that sweet was an apology. And it's not like I have to worry about seeing him much ever again. Today's the day we start our first ninja duties. I just have to get through today._

Her feet carried her to the school without much forethought, having trekked there almost every day for the last five years. But that morning was different. As she walked to her classroom, a metallic plate stood resolutely atop her head. It was the mark of the shinobi.

She effortlessly slid the door to the classroom open and entered. The room hummed with even more of the typical incomprehensible chatter that reverberated through the space each morning. Newly-graduated genin huddled in groups, ecstatically jabbering of the events to come.

Sakura remained at the top of the lecture hall for a moment, eyes roaming the space in deliberation. _Some of these people will be placed on a team with me... _The thought dripped with anxiety and dread. She heaved a steadying breath. _Not much I can do about it, I guess._

The board immediately behind her glided open once again, a blonde figure bounding into the room. The genin barely missed a direct collision course into Sakura's back, weaving around the girl at the last moment.

"I'm so sorry, Sakura," came a high-pitched voice, a hand bracing the pinkette's arm in apology. "I didn't see you there."

"Ino-san,umm-"

"I told you for the hundredth time, Sakura," interjected the spirited blonde, "just call me Ino. All right? Say it with me. I-no."

Sakura blinked back. "I-no..."

"Hah! There you have it!" exclaimed the blonde. "Gotta run!"

Sakura observed the girl spring down the stairs to join a group of prattling girls. Shrill laughter exploded from the female faction.

"...-san..." came a small whisper, expressionless emerald eying the blonde girl in the center of the group.

Sakura did not wait for the giggles to subside before moving to find a seat. There were just a couple of spots available. One involved passing through the mob of girls in the heart of the classroom, and Sakura was not about to tread through those waters. She opted for the second choice, maneuvering to take the mid-row seat.

It was a spot between two boys, one was blonde and the other had dark hair. That was all that the glance she spared them allowed her to determine. She occupied herself with her thumbs, twiddling them atop her desk as she waited for the instructor to begin their information session. _...and place us on teams_, she added, forlorn.

As the seconds slinked on, her instincts detected a pair of eyes piercing her. She turned to her immediate right, her vision briefly captivated by a wave of cerulean. The girl inhaled a sharp breath, placing a shaky hand on her chest to steady her racing heart.

"Naruto-san," she breathed, "did you want something?"

"Sakura-chan! You, I mean I, I didn't mean to scare you like that. It's just, and well, you, um, and there was...the candy tasted delicious!" He was huffing erratically, his reddened features stubbornly in place.

Sakura screwed her eyebrows together. "You're rambling."

Naruto swallowed. "I just meant, I just wanted to thank you for-"

"What a loser."

The blonde cocked his head to the side, looking around Sakura to the boy sitting on her left. His expression hardened, his sea blue eyes boring through the raven-haired genin. "I'm sorry. What were you saying? I didn't quite catch that."

The other boy scoffed, his impassive features unperturbed. "I called you a loser. Can't you tell you're freaking her out? Get a clue."

Within seconds, the blonde was crouched atop the desk, occupying the space directly before the dark-haired boy. Both their jaw lines were tensed, the electrifying glares aimed at each other only intensifying the stifling ambiance.

Sakura's evergreen irises flitted apprehensively between the two. _This isn't going to end well at all._

"Stay _away_ from Sasuke-kun, baka!"

The shrilled exclamation which blasted from the center of the room stole Sakura's attention. The sea of female faces were frenzied, savage even. Their eyes lusted for violence, the cracking knuckles which followed evidencing that. Worry swelled within Sakura, following their gazes to the object of their hostility.

"Naruto! We're only gonna say this once. Stay away from our Sasuke-kun!"

The angry mob edged closer to the trio. Naruto eyed the girls apprehensively but did not move, caught between his animosity for the raven-haired boy and his survival instincts to flee.

The angered girls took another step toward them, but were interrupted from continuing forward. Sakura alighted onto the desktop, arms outstretched protectively. Her eyes did not betray much emotion, but her features were firm.

"Get out of the way, Sakura," came a nasally voice somewhere in the crowd. "This doesn't concern you."

"Yeah," continued another, "just stay out of it, if you know what's good for you."

The girl in question did not flinch, her emerald eyes lingering on the girls below her.

"She's really not gonna move, Ami," called a brunette immediately in front, turning to the purple-haired girl beside her.

Ami flicked one of her short locks out of her face, grinning. "We'll just have to kill two birds with one stone, right ladies?" Her dark eyes flashed to her two companions beside her knowingly, before placing her hands on the rectangular desk on which Naruto and Sakura stood.

Her lackeys followed suit, grasping the wooden edges and forcing them to the side away from the seats. In an instant, the desk was turned onto one side, angled toward the downward drop of the next row.

Sakura's body reacted, pushing itself in the opposing direction of the slope with her arms strategically placed outward to keep balanced. Naruto was doing the same behind her, albeit with less grace. They had only managed to keep on the wobbling board a few seconds before gravity eventually took full effect.

The blonde's arms began flailing sporadically. He plummeted off the edge shortly thereafter, instinctively grasping onto Sakura so that they both went down. However, the direction of the fall was not the one anticipated by the fiendish girls.

The two ended up falling toward the seats...and onto a certain Uchiha.

The chair on which Sasuke had been sitting toppled over with little opposition, and a loud crash sounded with all three genin disappearing to the floor. Gasps and grumbles of astonishment followed, the trio of troublesome girls replacing the desk upright and edging away from the accident.

There was silence.

A head of pink abruptly shot upward. The girl cringed, rubbing her bruised forehead before detangling herself from the boys.

"Get off me," commanded a hard, muffled voice, "both of you."

"You don't get to talk to us like that," growled Naruto as Sakura finally got off of the two of them. "Just who do you think you-"

"Naruto-san." A hand settled on the fuming boy. "That's enough now."

The boy gritted his teeth, lifting himself off the boy. "Just stay away from me Sasuke-teme. After today, I never want to have to see your snobby face ever again."

The raven-haired boy threw him a distasteful look. "Works for me. Just stay out of my way, dobe."

* * *

_Of all the people..._

Sakura was seated atop a desk in the room, her legs dangling over the edge. A cool breeze swept through the window she was sitting near. It weaved through her short locks of pink, introducing a welcomed calmness to her otherwise hostile day.

The classroom had emptied considerably. For the most part, she was seated alone, save for the two boys she now called teammates.

_Of all the people, all the students in the entire academy...I __**would**__ be paired with those two._

Her eyes darted to the two genin on opposite sides of the room. The raven-haired boy sat at the back of the classroom, his hands clasped regally before him. The blonde, on the other hand, had been rabidly pacing at the front non-stop for the last hour.

"He's late," he spat under his breath. "How can he be late? Doesn't he know how important this is? All the other teams got to meet up with their senseis already, and are off doing all kinds of cool ninja things. And _me_? I get to stay in a classroom waiting for the dumb teacher to show up!"

Sakura might have spared him a sympathetic response to calm down or be patient. But the boy had been going at this particular tirade for a while now. He was beyond help at this point.

_I did it again, didn't I? _The girl leaned backwards, supporting her body comfortably with both hands anchored to the tabletop. _Why did I jump on that desk when I did? Why did I try to defend him? He hasn't even done one intelligent thing since I've known him. Ugh, and speaking of unintelligent._

Her eyes caught sight of the mischievous boy, a blackboard eraser in hand as he stood on a stool near the doorframe of the front entrance. He expertly lodged the eraser between the boards

"Naruto-san," she dared ask, "just what exactly are you doing?"

An impish grin decorated his face as he hopped off the stool. "Teaching our sensei a lesson on tardiness," answered the boy with finality, patting his hands against each other in satisfaction.

"Our teacher is a jounin level ninja," sounded a stoic voice. "He isn't going to fall for a cheap trick like that."

"No one asked you, Sasuke-teme. Just butt out of my business."

The Uchiha scoffed. "Suits my preferences just fine actually."

"Hmph, works for me. Just get ready to watch our stupid sensei crash and burn, haha!"

"Um, Naruto-san," began Sakura, "you really shouldn't-"

"He's already over two hours late!"

"Umm, Naruto-san?"

"I mean geez, I thought jounin were supposed to be smart and responsible, not lazy slackers who can't make it on time."

"Naruto-san, please just-"

"I bet he's not even a real jounin. I could wipe the floor with him if I wanted to."

"Ummm..."

"Maybe that's what I'll do. 'Soon as he gets here, I'll teach him a lesson in punctuality." He smacked fist to palm. "Believe it!"

"Oh you don't say? Well I guess we'd better take this outside then."

Naruto froze, the casual air in the figure's tone nonchalant yet disconcerting. The teen spun on his heels, his line of sight greeted by a tall, masked ninja. His headband slanted to conceal one eye while his uneven-length hair splayed atop his head.

"Say," began the silver-haired man, "the next time you try pulling a stunt like this, you might want to consider rigging _both_ doors."

Naruto's eyes flitted to the entrance, finding the eraser still in place while the other board of the paired sliding door stood half-opened. The blonde gulped, taking a cautious step backwards. Sasuke and Sakura joined their teammate at the front of the classroom.

"Hmm," uttered the silver-haired ninja, a pensive finger against his chin. "How can I put this? After viewing your display this morning in Hokage-sama's crystal ball, as well as just now, my first impression of this group is – I don't like you."

* * *

The winds on the rooftop whipped through the trees and around the assemblage of ninja seated on the terrace. The silver-haired jounin, introduced as Hatake Kakashi, had taken his new students to the location to become acquainted. The spiky-haired blonde was the first of the genin that had given an introduction.

"Well, Naruto," started Kakashi once the boy had finished, "it's nice to know that your likes, dislikes, interests and hobbies all surround ramen. What a multi-dimensional personality you have."

The boy's eyebrow gave a hard twitch. "Hey, you're forgetting about my dream of being Hokage!" he exclaimed. "And besides, at least I actually _answered_ those questions you asked us, unlike some people."

Kakashi closed his droopy eye innocently. "Why, I have no idea what you are insinuating."

"But you-"

"Let's continue on, shall we?" interrupted the jounin. "How about you go next? The girl."

Sakura nodded, throwing her irate teammate a sympathetic glance before beginning. "My name is Haruno Sakura. I have lots of likes, but I dislike few things. I, um, I don't have many hobbies, and I can't really say I have any dreams for the future either." She looked at her teacher weakly. It was her way of imploring him to move on, but he did not waver. The silence which followed weighed heavily upon her.

"I do have a goal though," she blurted finally. "Um, one goal. Just one." Her eyes blinked closed as she gathered her thoughts. "I wish to be a strong shinobi, the strongest I can be. It's, it's the only thing I think about."

Kakashi took in the girl's demeanor keenly, noting the straightness of her face and the tightened grip on her black nin-shorts as she spoke her last words. "Well then," he continued, his lackadaisical tone still in place, "I suppose that leaves you. The one in the blue."

Sasuke's expression remained stern and somber. "I am Uchiha Sasuke. There are lots of things I don't like, and there aren't many things I do like. I don't have any dreams. What I have is an ambition. I will resurrect my clan, and kill...a certain someone."

His eyes were cold, deadened as he addressed the last issue. The emotion communicated through them radiated an icy chill which resonated deeply within Sakura. She mentally shivered, turning away from the genin with the indomitable gaze.

_It's just as I expected, _thought Kakashi, his eyes assessing the boy. "Well then," he began, his manner snapping back to its previously blasé state, "I guess that concludes all our introductions. You all have your own unique ideas and personalities."

"Tch, how could you even tell?" grumbled Naruto. "I was the only one here who even answered all the questi-"

"In any case," continued the silver-haired sensei, "tomorrow begins our first mission. You'll be-"

"Oh awesome!" Naruto held a fist firmly before him. "A mission! A mission! We're getting our first mission!"

"Yes," indulged Kakashi. "It'll be our first mission together...a survival test."

The blonde was crestfallen, while Sakura and Sasuke gave the jounin equally questioning looks. "What? A survival test?" voiced Naruto for them all. "I thought we were gonna start a new mission, not get another test. What for? We already did that stuff in school, believe it. "

"Oh yes. That. Well, that was simply a means of selecting candidates that _might_ be worthy of becoming ninja. As far as I'm concerned, you're still just a bunch of fledglings. And whether or not you make it all the way as ninja or become demoted to academy students again is entirely up to _me._"

A whisper of worry crept into Sakura's psyche at Kakashi's last sentence. The man certainly had a way of communicating gravity, his casual tone interspersed with unexpected dips of severity. Not even Naruto dared incite another outburst.

"Don't worry, guys. This should be fun – for me at least. Meet me at the 3rd training ground tomorrow at oh four hundred hours." The man lifted himself off the rail he had been leaning on. "Oh and a word of advice: make sure you don't eat breakfast. Wouldn't want you throwing up, now would we?" The silver-haired ninja cupped his hands together into a hand sign and disappeared into a puff of smoke.

The three genin threw each other worried glances before rising. Naruto gave a skyward stretch. "Ah, I'm not worried about that old jounin. This test'll be a piece of cake. Nothing's gonna stop me from being a ninja, believe it!"

"Thanks for sharing, dobe," responded Sasuke, rounding on the spot.

"Grrrrr, no one asked you, Sasuke-teme," yelled Naruto at the raven-haired boy's retreating back.

Sakura inhaled a calming breath, closing her eyes in reflection. _Tomorrow. Tomorrow determines it all. I just hope I'll be strong enough to handle it._

Her eyelids slid open, a world of blue and blonde invading her vision. The girl skipped backwards reflexively. "Yes, Naruto-san?"

"Sakura-chan, umm, I was just wondering..." He shied his face away from hers. "What does oh four hundred hours mean?"

Sakura blinked back. "Oh, that? It's an expression of time. You know, for example noon time is twelve hundred hours. And 10 a.m. would be ten hundred hours."

"Oooohhhh, I get it," nodded the blonde in relief. "So then oh four hundred hours would be, would be...he wants us to meet him at four o'clock in the morning?"

* * *

Sakura groggily made her way to the training grounds the next morning. It was an ungodly hour to be awake and about. Although she had been sure to go to bed hours earlier the evening before, her internal clock failed to adjust overnight.

Her dulled senses barely registered her surroundings as she waited in the dimly lit field. The nippiness of the still air might have been the only thing keeping her sleepy brain remotely alert. The grass beneath her sandals was cool and moist, bathed in dew. The green plain was relatively flat, lined by a forest of trees on all sides.

Moments later, she detected a pair of footsteps. The sight of a boy in blue followed, resolution firmly etched into the features of his face. He didn't appear the least bit lethargic. That was a stark contrast to the wavering figure a few meters behind him. The blonde was like the living dead, sluggishly meandering across the field.

After their arrival, the trio wordlessly awaited their sensei in a loose, circular back-to-back formation. And there they stood, even as the sun peaked over the lake in the eastern region of the training grounds, even as the birds began chirpily bustling about, even as hours passed and their sensei was nowhere in sight.

And then finally, at eight o'clock in the morning, a cloud of smoke exploded onto the field.

"Good morning, everyone. Shall we begin our exercise?"

The trio snapped into focus as swiftly as the jounin had materialized on the scene. "You're late!" exclaimed the hyperactive blonde, an accusatory finger aimed at the older ninja. "We've been waiting here for four hours now!"

"Four hours, you say?" questioned the silver-haired nin. "Ah well you see, I found a homeless turtle on the way over here. And I had to go find its owner."

Three deadpanned looks followed.

Kakashi cough dryly. "Well, since you've been waiting here all this time, I think it's safe to assume you've done your morning warm-ups already?"

The students glanced at each other blankly.

"And here I thought you genin were _so_ determined to become ninja. Snap to it then. We begin with stretches then after that I need you to give me fifteen laps around the training grounds."

"Fifteen? This place is huge, believe it. And you want us to run around it fifteen times?"

"My mistake, Naruto. You're right. Instead I want _thirty_ laps."

The blonde dropped his jaw, his gaping mouth catching the deathly glares his two teammates were shooting him. As instructed, they abandoned their gear and began their warm-ups.

* * *

Pants and huffing rasped through the air. Sakura held her knees as she fought to regain her normal breathing rate, while Naruto had already plopped to the floor.

"Is it just me," began Naruto between breaths, "or is this warm-up session way intense, believe it."

"I gotta agree with the dobe," added Sasuke. "We've been at this for almost two hours."

"But what else can we do?" Sakura straightened herself. "He's the one in control here, remember?"

"I think we've managed to get enough blood flowing," called Kakashi from under the tree he had been standing under. He headed toward the young ninja in the center of the field. "Now I can finally explain what we'll be doing."

The masked ninja motioned toward three wooden posts, a timer tucked under one arm. "This clock is set for noon," he began, resting the object on the central log. "You're goal before then is to secure these bells away from me." He presented two silver, metallic orbs each strung by a thread of red. They jingled together in melodic unison. "If you are able to obtain a bell, you pass the test. If not, you will be disqualified and sent back to the academy."

"Hold on a sec, Kakashi-sensei," interjected Naruto. "There are only two bells, but three people. What gives?"

"See, that's the beauty of it," replied Kakash. "That means that no matter what happens today, I get to fail at least one of you. But then again, all three of you could fail too."

Sakura pressed her lips together. A familiar, unsettling inkling bubbled within her at Kakashi's words. It was as if her body was physically rejecting what her sensei was saying - her body's signal of caution. _I...need to think about this a bit more._

"You have to come at me with the intent to kill," continued the jounin. "Otherwise, you won't be able to get a bell. Now when I say start, you can begin."

Kakashi watched his silent students, their eyes ablaze with resilience and fortitude. _They seem determined, that's for certain. But it's going to take more than that to pass my test._ "Ready..." The masked ninja reached into his back pocket to procure an orange book. "Begin."

Sakura and Sasuke disappeared, taking to the surrounding trees. Their remaining teammate, however, planted himself before his enemy. "Get ready to be beaten by me, sensei! This is just the first step to me becoming Hokage, believe it!"

For all of Naruto's proclamations, Kakashi seemed less than impressed. His eyes left his reading material and fell on the boy. "You know...compared to the others, you don't seem to be very bright."

"Grrrr, I'll show you! Here I go!" The boy charged toward his teacher.

* * *

_This doesn't add up_, thought Sakura, crouched in a thickly foliated tree. She had watched as Naurto attacked Kakashi earlier, and was easily subdued. She also observed the sensei's skirmish with Sasuke and his near possession of a bell. Remarkable as his moves were, the boy failed nonetheless. _If a genius like Sasuke can't get one on his own, I doubt any one of us can. _

The pink-haired ninja inhaled a bracing breath. _Since he's reading that book, he clearly doesn't expect us to be able to get a bell. He's also made it so that we're practically starving from not having eaten anything, sleep-deprived from waking up so early, and to add insult to injury, we're exhausted from that ridiculous warm-up session this morning._

She closed her eyes reflectively. _He's a jounin-level ninja. Even without those tactics, he'd still have no problem beating a genin. Why would he go to all that trouble?_

"Pst. Sakura, behind you."

The girl's eyes snapped open, turning to the direction of the whisper. Her eyes were greeted by the sight of her sensei, crouched beside her. Her body reacted, bounding off the tree branch. Even as she sailed through the air and spun to launch a counterattack, her world began spiraling out of control. She found herself inside a whirlwind of leaves. Her senses felt flushed, like they were being invaded by another presence.

Then, just as swiftly as these sensations surfaced, they dissipated without a trace. The girl stood in a field, no sign of her sensei or her teammates. "What-what in the world just happened?"

The earth unexpectedly began to feel unstable, as it crumbled beneath her. Before she could react, she found herself falling, plummeting into a pit of emptiness, icy air lashing passed her body. A shrill scream exploded from her mouth, as her world became engulfed in darkness.

* * *

"Sakura-chan...Sakura-chan...?"

The sound echoed within her psyche. As it rebounded within her emptied thoughts, it began triggering activity in the deepest recesses of her mind. The voice ushered her into wakefulness, as the dark spaces within began filling with light.

Finally, her surroundings reflected the brightness she registered within. Outlines of color and shapes entered her world, then the feeling of moistened earth to her skin.

She rose to a sitting position, a shaky hand bracing her forehead. "What...happened to me?"

"Sakura-chan," bellowed Naruto, Sakura wincing in response. "I'm so glad you're up. I got so worried when I found you just lying on the floor like that. I must'a been shaking you a whole five minutes before you finally woke up."

The girl massaged her temple, easing her aching cranium. "Thank you, Naruto-san. You didn't have to do this. We're competing against each other, remember?"

"Maybe, but, well I could never just leave you there." A brush of rouge painted his cheeks.

The pinkette smiled appreciatively. "Well I owe you a lot. If you hadn't come along to help me, I could have been snoozing past noon. I'm betting Kakashi-sensei must have casted some kind of genjutsu. I can't believe I let him catch me off-guard like that."

The blonde grinned sheepishly. "No worries, Sakura-chan. Don't beat yourself up about it. I got your back, believe it. We are teammates after all."

"Yeah," responded Sakura thoughtfully. "We are teammates, aren't we?"

Naruto's words triggered something in Sakura's memory, and her mind slipped back to a moment in Dr. Sato's office, the memory she had been deliberating over for the better part of yesterday evening.

"_And for genin especially, it is of great importance for them to learn to rely on each other and work together to defeat powerful enemies they could not otherwise overcome alone, with their limited skills. Teamwork is indispensable to a ninja, Sakura-san. You understand my position, yes?"_

Her emerald eyes widened as realization whipped through her. She had at last understood Dr. Sato's words, as well as the discrepancies with this ridiculous bell test.

"He _wants_ us to work together," uttered Sakura dazedly.

The blonde cocked his head. "Sakura-chan, you _sure_ you're feeling okay? You're not running a temperature are you?"

The boy raised a hand to her face, but the pinkette batted it back. "Naruto-san, I'm fine. And I think I've finally figured out what we're supposed to be doing here. This test isn't what it appears to be at all."

Naruto blinked back dumbly. "What d'ya mean?"

"We're going to take back those bells, Naruto-san. Together."

* * *

It was minutes before noon.

Sasuke was concealed in a tree, deliberating his next move. He had already made two failed attempts to obtain a bell, and he wasn't about to strike out with a third. _I won't lose. I __**can't**__. I just didn't expect it to be this difficult. And I haven't seen Naruto or Sakura anywhere for a while. I wonder if they've given up already._

A throng of kunai whirled onto the scene, sweeping directly toward Kakashi. He easily dodged the onslaught of weapons, hastily retreating. The maneuver was followed by a rustling of bushes, and the swift appearance of six Naruto's rushing him.

_This again, hm?_ mused Kakashi. "You won't win that way, Naruto."

The clones surrounded the front of Kakashi, forcing him to move backwards so he could defend against their ambush. Book still in hand, the jounin dodged the first two clones cleanly, forcing them to collide and explode into each other. He then swept a punch at another, then executed a jump split kick which subdued two others. One Naruto remained.

"So I guess you're the real one, huh?" Kakashi's tone was as even and steady as before the scuffle. "You can't expect to beat me head-on with such poor taijutsu skills, Naruto. Or haven't you figured that out yet?"

"Sorry sensei," answered the blonde genin. "I guess you're just gonna have to teach it to me all over again"

"Very well then. Let the lesson begin."

No sooner had Kakashi finished his statement than Naruto began his assault. A barrage of shuriken rushed toward his enemy. The jounin avoided the attack with a swift sidestep, and Naruto launched a 360 crescent kick sweeping in the same direction as Kakashi's sidestep. As the silver-haired ninja blockaded the blow with his free hand, the contributing momentum of his previous movements gave the kick a harder toppling effect. The tall man stood his ground nonetheless.

Naruto followed up by dropping his upper body toward the floor, so Kakashi was now suspending him upside down. A kunai in hand, the boy jabbed toward the jounin's leg. Before injury could be made, Kakashi leapt into the air, relinquishing his hold on the boy as he somersaulted over him.

The genin hit dirt, but rebounded off his back to his feet, just as Kakashi alighted to the floor. _Something's amiss here_, considered the older ninja. _Compared to the last time he charged me, his style is completely different – less wild, more calculating and deliberate. Was he just pretending to lack skill before to catch me off guard now?_

Naruto launched a roundhouse kick, but Kakashi retreated towards the lake, tucking his Ich Icha Paradise into his pocket. _No. I highly doubt Naruto is clever enough to think so far ahead. Still, I can't deny that his technique has changed. It's like he's a different person..._

The genin spun into a more aggressive 360 gyro kick – his body twirled in place on the ground first as he made his approach, and then rounded into a kick on the second turn. Kakashi's hand latched onto his leg. Naruto twirled his body to connect his kunai into the jounin's stomach this time, but it was seized by Kakashi's other free hand. The boy punched with his uncaught forelimb, but this too was blocked. Now both his arms and one of his legs were immobilized.

"Using a teammate's previously poor taijutsu to lower my guard before launching into a more strategic assault," commented Kakashi. "Not a bad tactic, _Sakura_."

Naruto's form disintegrated in a puff of smoke, a pinned pink-haired kunoichi replacing it. She grimaced under the pressure of her sensei's hold. "And I was sure it was going to work too."

"Well better luck next time. Although transformation is a basic skill, I didn't expect you to be able to create shadow clones as well."

A smile decorated the girl's lips. "I can't."

In one instant, the real Naruto emerged from the lake in which he had been hiding. The genin dove immediately for the bells fastened around his sensei's torso. With his limbs occupied with holding Sakura, Kakashi could not directly defend against the approaching ninja.

Meanwhile, Sasuke, who had been silently observing the entire clash, felt his breath catch in his throat. _I can't believe this._ _They're gonna do it. They're actually going to get the bells_.

Just as Naruto's fingers caressed the smooth metallic surface of the jingling orbs, Kakashi rotated. His body switched directions, forcing Sakura into Naruto's path. The two ninja resultantly hammered into each other. The jounin relinquished the kunoichi and bounded backwards.

"Phew," exhaled Kakashi coolly. "You almost got me that time."

"Ow ow ow. Sensei that hurt!" exclaimed Naruto, rubbing the bruise on his head.

"Hey, at least you weren't the one being used as a human shield," replied Sakura dispassionately.

"You decided to work together," stated Kakashi, his tone hard. "What an unfortunate turn of events. I never said that was part of the rules. Do you have any idea what you've just done here?"

Sakura watched the man apprehensively, but beside her Naruto was glaring at him with belligerence. "Well it made the most sense, didn't it? After all that you put us through this morning, teamwork was the only way we could hope to finish this mission. You got a problem with that? Then deal. I'm done listening to you anymore, sensei. Believe it."

"So that's your answer, is it?" he asked plainly. "Then as your teacher, it's time I taught you a lesson and put you in your place."

The older ninja brandished a series of hand signs. They went unrecognized to the pair of genin staggering to their feet, but the same could not be said for a certain Uchiha. _I don't believe this. Those are the seals for the fireball jutsu. Sakura and Naruto are toast if he uses that._

The jounin paused, holding his last hand sign as he suctioned air. Before an attack could be discharged, a flash of blue appeared before the two young ninja. The figure began making a flurry of seals himself.

"Sasuke? What the heck are you doing here?"

"What do you think?" he spat back in annoyance. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

An orb of fire erupted from the boy's mouth, just as another set of flames advanced toward them. The two fiery bodies crashed into each other, swirling into a tempest of fire and creating a booming explosion. Dust and dirt engulfed the area in a messy cloud of brown, crisped grass intermixed in the fray. Wind gusted from the epicenter of the impact, and the genin shielded their eyes from the stream of hot air and debris.

The dust gradually settled, revealing a small but prominent depression in the earth, two teams standing on opposite sides.

"You-you saved us?" whispered Naruto in awe.

Sakura's eyes also rested on the raven-haired boy, her lips parted in surprise.

"As much as I hate to admit it," he began, "but you two are on to something. We've got a much better chance getting a bell together than separately, even if there are only two of them."

"So what are you saying, Sasuke-san?"

He turned to look at his teammates over his shoulder, a smirk in place. "What I'm saying is that I'll be joining you two against our wise old sensei. It's not like you two stood much of a chance without me anyway."

The pair shared hopeful glances, grinning widely.

"You sure about that, Sasuke?"

The group shifted their focus to the other side of the crater. Their gazes steeled onto their teacher. "Naruto and Sakura are in some pretty hot water for teaming up against me. That was against the rules. However, I'm willing to overlook your lapse, Sasuke. Just stand down. Let me deal with those two. Then they'll be disqualified, and you'll have a clear shot at passing and becoming a ninja. What do you say?"

Sasuke's expression remained impassive. Neither the genin nor Kakashi could quite decipher the gears which were turning in the Uchiha's head, or the direction they were favoring. Naruto and Sakura tensed in their stances, preparing for whatever was to come next.

"You would like that, wouldn't you? For me to just turn on them. But every time we've chanced listening to you has only ended up benefiting _you_, and hurting _us_. Given that – and I cannot believe these words are even coming out of my mouth but – I agree with Naruto. I'm through listening to a word you have to say. We fight as one now."

Kakashi continued eyeing the team of genin. "Is that so, huh? You fight as one? Well, all I have to say to that is-"

A rush of shuriken whizzed toward the jounin. "H-Hey, wait minute," blurted Kakashi in alarm, avoiding the ninja stars. "Guys, just sto-"

"Naruto-san, give me some air," commanded Sakura.

"Huh? Oh oh, I got you, Sakura-chan." The boy quickly materialized five clones. The group encircled Sakura and Naruto.

"Don't hold back, Sakura," asserted Sasuke, bounding forward. "I got you covered."

The five clones created a web of hands, with their creator and the kunoichi crouching atop them. Careful emerald met determined sapphire before the net of arms shot upward, vaulting the two genin into the air.

Kakashi's gaze darted toward the two ninja, his eye almost completely lidded from the dazzling solar rays beaming in his direction. If it were not for his keen sense of smell and the sudden whiff of charred air, he might have missed the fireball approaching him.

The jutsu impacted the area Kakashi had been standing on. The earth steamed of burnt shrubbery and flares. When the zone of fire at last dissipated, the elusive sensei was nowhere to be found. The genin's eyes scanned the field, but to no avail. Then, in the next instant, Sasuke found himself pulled beneath the ground, his head being the only part of his body left unearthed.

Kakashi emerged from the sea of dirt, a playful look in his eye. "Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu. Now to deal with the others."

His instincts suddenly went on the alarm, sensing the approach of danger. He felt a chakra signature speedily advance toward him, the physical form of its owner hidden amidst shafts of light from the midday sun. He recognized the signature immediately, his extensive experience on the battlefield allowing him to quickly discern his situation.

Sakura, who had been catapulted into the air along with Naruto, had been launched from her suspended position toward their sensei, courtesy of a spinning swing from her hyperactive teammate. Her body was now torpedoing toward the jounin, her heel aimed in a kick.

Kakashi's body reacted within milliseconds. He swept his palm horizontally, striking the side of the girl's approaching heel and shifting the trajectory of the kick. In the same fluid movement, he extended the same arm outwards, performing a lariat. The jounin was careful to execute the move to its least forceful capacity, his arm slightly bent and palm open to catch the assailing kunoichi. Regardless of his gentleness, a gasp still escaped the girl's lips as her small chest slammed into the man's muscled forearm, her semi-limp form falling lightly to the ground.

Kakashi's gaze fell upon the coughing girl on the floor briefly._ The maneuver with the clones originally appeared to be a distraction, giving Sasuke an opening. But in reality,_ _Sasuke was the diversion, making way for Naruto and Sakura's joint assault. These kids. I can't believe the level of teamwork they're capable of._

The jounin's eye flashed across the field. _Now for Naruto._

Almost on cue, the boy and his clones rushed him, surrounding the silver-haired ninja. "Naruto, stop attacking now."

"Tch, do I look that stupid to you, sensei?" The boy charged him, but the jounin easily subdued the clones until one remained.

"Naruto, stop this. The test is over."

The boy shook his head. "I told you I wasn't listening to you anymore. I don't believe you."

Kakashi sighed in exasperation. _Good grief._

Naruto dashed. Just as the genin neared his teacher, a puff of smoke exploded behind the jounin. A boulder, which had originally stood behind Kakashi transfigured into none other than Naruto himself.

The boys lunged at the older ninja, grasping onto his body and caging him with their arms. Now Kakashi was sandwiched between two Naruto's with no sign of escape.

"Now to get the bells!" As the boy slinked one hand toward the glistening objects dangling from the man's belt, the man's body erupted into a cloud of white. The smoke cleared to reveal Naruto and his clone clasping a moss-covered log.

_Darn it! _thought Naurto. _Substitution Jutsu._

In the next split second, a rope spiraled around the pair, locking them against the roll of wood. The large mass clunked to the ground.

Kakashi stood tall, his eye roaming the field. It rested on Sasuke, submerged in the dirt, then on Sakura, still gasping from having the wind knocked out of her earlier, and lastly Naruto, rolling across the floor while bolted to the log and his clone.

The man exhaled heavily. "Now that I've managed to incapacitate all of you, I think it's my chance to finally speak."

Naruto grimaced beneath his bindings. "Why? Agh, so you can lie to us some more?"

"Maybe we should give him a chance," appealed Sakura, weakly. She had managed to rise into a sitting position.

"Not like we have any other choice," added Sasuke.

"I agree that you all have reason to be wary of me," began Kakashi. "As you've pointed out, every turn I've lead you into thus far has worked against your favor. But in reality, those have all been ways of _helping_ you. And it appears that my ploys have been successful."

"Helping us?" exclaimed Naruto. "You're trying to tell me you were _helping_ us? What part? Starving us? Giving us all those laps? Nearly roasting me and Sakura-chan alive?"

"Yes," answered the jounin simply. "You see, this entire time the test had nothing to do with obtaining the bells. It was about _teamwork_. I purposely pitted you all against each other by having only two bells for you to obtain. It was my hope that you'd be able to see past your differences and put the good of the squad ahead of your own and work together."

There was a short spell of silence, the genin chewing over their sensei's words.

"Oooooooh, so that explains why you made it so hard," commented Naruto. "So that we'd be more willing to start doing things as a team. It's just like you were saying, Sakura-chan."

"Ahhh, Sakura," said Kakashi. "I thought you might have been the one who incited the attack with Naruto. I'm quite impressed you were able to see through my little game."

The pinkette's cheeks burned under the proud gaze of her sensei. "Naruto-san helped me figure it out too."

"And the reason you seemed so willing to completely destroy those two," posited Sasuke, "was to see if I'd help them."

"That's exactly right," answered Kakashi. "By the time Naruto and Sakura attacked me, they passed my test. I just wanted to see if you were capable of the same thing, Sasuke. Even after I threatened you, you didn't waver."

The form of their sensei vanished without warning. In that instant, Naruto's bindings were slashed apart, and Sasuke was released from the jutsu which held him. The two boys rose from the floor, regrouping near Sakura. Naruto extended a hand to aid the girl to her feet.

Kakashi reappeared before his students. "You're the first squad that's ever succeeded. All the others just kept doing exactly as I said, and fell into every pitfall. They couldn't think for themselves. A ninja must see through deception."

The jounin looked on at his students. His gaze was hard and purposeful, yet filled with an emotion none of the genin could recognize. "In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum. it's true. However, those who abandon their friends are even lower than scum. You were able to prove to me today that you are capable of embracing this concept. This exercise is over. Everyone passes. Tomorrow, this squad officially begins its first mission as Team 7."

"Yeah!" cheered Naruto ecstatically, his fist raised triumphantly. "We did it! We did it! Believe it! I'm a ninja! Ninja! Ninja!"

A smile graced Sakura's lips, her emerald eyes radiating with joy. She glanced at her side to find Sasuke, a soft smirk in place as well. _I can't believe we did it. Now, it all really begins. _Her gaze drifted skyward, the sun's rays splayed onto her delicate features. _Okaa-san...Oto-san...I promise I'll make you proud._

_- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -  
_


	5. Missions and Complications

******Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. ********I do own the concept of a psychology department in Konoha though. That and all the wonderful little psychologists working for me there :)**

**********RE-WRITE: 3/15/12**

* * *

_**Missions and Complications**_

The sun sparsely showered the streets with interspersed rays of gold. A solitary pair of feet ambled lackadaisically along the sidewalk. One hand rested in the man's pocket at his side, with the other clutching his favorite reading material before his face. Unfortunately, not even Icha Icha Paradise could completely suppress the pang of annoyance that festered within him. He did not quite appreciate carrying out the particular chore forced upon him that cloudy morning. The characteristically slowed pace he adopted over the years was even more exaggerated now because of it.

_Shrinks...why did he have to be a shrink...?_

He had never met this Dr. Sato whom he was going to see. However, the fact that the man was a psychologist caused a rise of disdain and contempt nonetheless. Minutes later, he found himself before the infrastructure of Konoha's Psychology Division. It was the building that housed the so-called specialists who were charged with monitoring and maintaining the mental health of the village's ninja.

Kakashi gave the structure a cursory glance. It had been over 15 years since he had stepped foot in this building. The pallid white invaded by blotches of dirtied brown and black crevices in the cracked stone outer walls were as unappealing as he had remembered.

Without sparing his situation another thought, the jounin strode into the building, his legs carrying him up the stairway and down the hallway leading to the psychologist's office. Tucking his reading material into his ninja pouch, Kakashi moved his knuckles toward the door. Before they could make contact, the wooden board swung open.

"O-Oh! Woah there!" blurted a spectacled man in astonishment. He was unsteady on his feet, but managed to retain his balance. "I'm so sorry, I was just on my way to run an errand, but...well please come in."

The ninja nodded, floating through the door frame as the man ushered him into the room. "I take it you must be Sato-sensei, the psych-evaluator for this year's genin."

"Oh, ah...yes," replied the doctor, slightly flustered as he closed the door and spun to shake the ninja's hand. "And you're Hatake Kakashi, son of Konoha's White Fang and former member of the ANBU black ops. It's a pleasure." Kakashi grasped the man's hand in quick salutation. "What can I do for you this morning? And please, have a seat."

"I won't be needing one," asserted Kakashi before the man could gesture toward a chair. "I was hoping you'd be able to sort out my problem in a span of time that won't require it."

"Ahh, let's get down to business then. You're the jounin-sensei of Team 7, if I'm not mistaken." The man wheeled around his desk to rifle through his files. "…which would mean your students are Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto. And you say you have a problem?"

"A small one, really. You see, on the insistence of my students I had placed a formal request to the Hokage that Team 7 be given clearance to be employed for C-rank missions. In light of my squad's success, especially in our most recent missions, Hokage-sama has given his approval as of yesterday. However, this was on condition that the psych-examiner – meaning you, Sato-sensei – also agrees. From that, you can probably gather why I'm here."

The psychologist scrutinized his files further before facing the jounin, his expression bewildered. "It appears I have already reviewed this request, Hatake-san." He procured a singular leaflet from his beige folder and displayed it to the ninja. "And I disapproved it."

"I am well aware of that, however it was my hope to stop by to resolve this error in judgment."

"Error in judgment?" repeated Dr. Sato, humoring that statement with a grin. "With all due respect, sir, my office has carefully reviewed your team. We feel it would not only be unwise, but also utterly catastrophic to give your squad more dangerous missions. The members of your team still lack the necessary comradery to even execute the lowest ranked of missions, much less to begin pursuing ones of greater difficulty."

"Sato-sensei," began Kakashi coolly, "I came all this way to your office to sort this out. Surely you could do more to convince me than by simply restating what you had already written up on that notice of disapproval in your hands."

The doctor gave another grin, albeit this one was degrees more forced. "Very well then..." The middle-aged man removed his glasses, giving them a quick polish before returning them to his face. "Uzumaki Naruto is dynamic and headstrong, but lacks the maturity to act without impulse. He also has a preoccupation with attention-seeking, which makes him prone to rash action. Uchiha Sasuke is cold and aloof. He has yet to truly value and rely on the skills of his teammates, and undoubtedly prefers to act alone than in conjunction with others. And Haruno Sakura is emotionally guarded, distant and incredibly wary of social situations. She is unable to form attachments to people beyond the professional, and will only grow comfortable to reach out to others with time and experience."

Dr. Sato's speech was almost mechanical, his voice adopting the detached tone of a health professional. "In summation, not one member on your team has the natural ability to work well with others, and actually have personality traits which imply the opposite. It is an impossibility for them to be prepared for higher-risk missions after only nine weeks of being on the same team."

His hazel eyes pierced the jounin as they witnessed the ninja close his eyelid in reflection. "It seems you've made a pretty thorough assessment of them...impressive, especially considering the limited time you've spent together. You see them, what, one hour twice a week?" Kakashi's charcoal eye opened to meet Dr. Sato's. "But I have been working with these ninja almost every day for two months. I mean no disrespect, Sato-sensei, but I think I have a better grasp of what they are capable of than you do."

Dr. Sato stepped toward the jounin, his gaze pressed into Kakashi's questioningly. "You really believe they can handle a mission promotion to C-rank?"

"I do admit they have some issues to work through. But our latest missions together have proven to me what I have believed from the first time I trained with them: Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura work best together under high-stakes situations. Their growth together will be stunted unless we provide a more suitable environment to facilitate that growth."

"You did not answer my question, Hatake-san," replied Dr. Sato, his tone laced with worry. "Do you believe they can handle a C-rank mission? Are you willing to gamble their safety on it?"

"It will not be a gamble," asserted Kakashi. "As a ninja of this village and as their sensei, I will protect them with my life."

Kakashi's gaze was intense. Sato Daisuke had not known the ninja personally before their encounter that morning, but he was aware of Kakashi's reputation for remaining cool and detached in his interactions. But what his stare communicated in that moment...it went beyond confidence. There was far more invested in it.

Dr. Sato scrutinized the jounin under his gaze for another moment. "I will concede to your request, Hatake-san. But first, I have a condition."

"Condition?"

"Yes, you see I'm scheduled to have an appointment with Haruno Sakura two days from now. Should your new mission be assigned before then, I insist on seeing her before you depart, if only briefly. Are we in agreement?"

The ninja gave one quick bob of affirmation.

The doctor sighed heavily, massaging his temple. "Then I shall re-write my report, Hatake-san...I pray you know what you are doing."

* * *

"Yeaahhhhh! Let's get this mission started!" Naruto bounded out the large village gates, an eager smile decorating his face as his eyes swiveled around the blur of scenery.

The mission Team 7 had been assigned to that morning seemed simple enough, considered Sakura, following several paces behind Naruto with the remainder of her squad. The band of ninja had been charged with escorting The Master Bridge Builder, Tazuna, back to his home country in the Land of Waves. It was sure to be more challenging than what they had been exposed to thus far, the mission status being C-ranked and all. But it was a step toward strength and growth which all the genin welcomed. Sakura continued to eye her euphoric teammate ahead of them, vaguely wondering when the blonde would deem it an acceptable number before he finally ceased his fist pumping.

"What's that shrimp gettin' all worked up for?" grumbled a rough voice, the old man slipping his bottle of sake under his grayed moutache as he took a swig.

This Tazuna appeared harmless enough to Sakura as she surveyed him from the corner of her eye. He was relatively fit for someone his age. Being a highly esteemed man of his trade must have surely meant that he was dedicated and disciplined as well. The stifling scent of liquor that lingered on his breath, however, suggested otherwise.

"This is my first time leaving the village!" called back Naruto in response, his eyes still drinking in every aspect of the lush green world around him. "I'm a traveler now, believe it. Stop killin' my buzz, old man."

"Humph...it's bad enough my safety's in the hands of a bunch of kids," continued the bridge builder, his cheeks adopting the rosiness that typically accompanied liquor. "That kid prancing around like a little ballerina ain't helpin' to bolster any kind 'o confidence."

The blonde ninja spun to face the group so quickly Sakura was sure he should have gotten whiplash. "Don't insult a ninja, old man! That's a big mistake! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, one of the best shinobi in the world, and I'm gonna be Hokage one day, believe it!"

The man in question looked as disinterested as ever. "Give me a break..." He sauntered passed the young boy, the other ninja in tow. "Hokage are powerful ninja, unsurpassed in wisdom, wit and strength. You, on the other hand, are small, weak and brainless – nothing but a loser as far as I can see. Just stand aside and let your sensei take care of the fine points of this mission, I say. A twerp like you would just get in the way."

Naruto ground his teeth tightly. "Loser..." he seethed, "grrr...twerp...get in the way?" He dove at the older man's back. "I've had it with this! I'm gonna demolish you!"

Kakashi grasped his student's jumpsuit, his expression pained. "Uhm, Naruto, our duty is to _protect_ our clients. Not attack them..."

The blonde genin struggled against his sensei's hold before finally quelling his rage. The boy said nothing but still appeared gruff, feeling the nadir of his deflated elation. Sasuke eyed his teammate with more accented annoyance than usual, while Sakura just looked mortified. _Naruto-san, why are you always so compelled to embarrass this squad? Jeez..._

The group pressed forward, their spiky-haired companion fervently racing ahead to lead. There pace was purposeful yet casual, the road quiet save for the occasional whistling gust that whipped through the trees lining their path. But like every good thing in the world, it was bound to come to an end.

_Just where does he think he's going? _questioned Sakura internally, watching the blonde veer left toward the fork in the road they were approaching. _Does he really think he'll prove himself by leading us in the wrong direction?_

"Right, Naruto-san," called the kunoichi without anymore forethought. "Left takes us inland, toward the Lands of Earth and Wind."

The genin made a slight hesitation in stride before swerving where he was told. "I-I knew that."

The candy-haired genin shook her head in exasperation.

"You memorized the map before the mission?" inquired Kakashi. "Or are you going more off of memory, Sakura?"

The girl's gaze shifted hesitantly to her teacher. "A bit of both...I think. The maps were hard to follow, so I really don't know the way. But well, I sort of know up to this junction, since I've passed through here before."

"You've been outside the village?" asked Naruto, walking backwards so he could face his team behind him.

"Uh, yeah. I came to Konoha when I was eight. Before that, I lived somewhere else."

"You never told us that, Sakura-chan."

The girl stared back at her teammate's wounded gaze, searching through his sapphire eyes in confusion. _You didn't need to know. _

That instinct stirred a memory she had of that very morning, before Team 7 had set off for their mission. On her sensei's insistence, she had stopped in to see Dr. Sato for their appointment. As she continued to watch the boy, the kunoichi could almost hear the psychologist's last implored message echoing in her mind.

"_Don't be so afraid to share yourself with your team, Sakura-san."_

The girl shook her head. _That doesn't make any sense at all. Why should that affect anything that has to do with being a ninja?_

Her emerald eyes suddenly caught the sight of orange meeting brown as Naruto's body hit the dirt path. Sakura instantly snapped out of her inner reverie, rolling her eyes at the absurdity. Honestly, how could anyone remain walking backwards and _not_ expect tripping over as an inevitable eventuality?

The blonde jumped back onto his feet, grinning sheepishly as he looked back. Sakura shook her head while Sasuke just raised an eyebrow, clearly un-amused.

In the same breath, two black shadows flitted through the group like a blast of wind. Panic rose within Sakura as her eyes darted around the field, attempting to follow these shadows. Who were these figures? And what on earth were they doing?

Within a split second, razor-edged chains encircled Kakashi. With a hard pull from both ends by these dark beings, the jounin exploded apart into shreds.

The three genin froze in place, finally appreciating the gravity of what was taking place. Two ninja draped in black cloaks stood on either side of their group, their bodies arched for attack. The mouthpieces they adorned concealed half of their faces. Despite this, the crazed look their dark eyes evoked clearly indicated they were smirking.

"That's one down..."

Still linked together by the same chain that ended Kakashi, the two charged for the easiest target – Naruto shakily stood several paces away from the group.

They advanced with the swiftness of experienced ninja and sureness of experienced killers. Naruto's widened ceruleans meant that he saw the attack coming, but the only movement he could manage was gritting at his teeth. It seemed certain the boy was to meet the same fate as his sensei.

Without hesitation, Sasuke leapt into action. Expertly throwing a shuriken and then kunai in succession, the ninja star caught the chain and carried it toward a nearby tree while the kunai landed in the shuriken's loop, effectively fastening the chain to the bark. In the same bound, the Uchiha landed atop a massive arm of both ninja and launched a backwards kick that knocked his two foes squarely in the jaws.

The enemy ninja relinquished their holds on the metal chains and resorted to their second mode of attack: individual slashing with their colossal clawed arms.

One remained combatively engaged with Sasuke while the other zoomed toward Team 7's ward, the bridge builder. Acting quickly, Sakura retrieved a line of ninja wire with a kunai tied to it and swung the wire around the large claw. In the same movement, she zigzagged about the ninja. Using her natural agility and small size to dodge the enemy's distracted blows, she snaked the wire around his limbs and body before dashing backward and pulling on the ensnared foe.

The tactic was sufficient to stop the ninja from any further advance toward Tazuna, but could not restrain him long. He heaved against Sakura's weak hold, her body jerking with each pull. She knew his escape was in easy reach.

"Naruto!" she yelled in alarm. "Naruto I need your shadow clones to hold him down!" The girl whipped forward with another violent tug of her foe, but Naruto remained stationary. "Naruto are you hearing me? Move quickly, ngh...I can't hold him for much lon-"

The wire snapped apart after the next swing, Sakura falling backward. Without hesitation, the released foe continued toward the bridge builder, his blades aimed for attack. Sasuke was too involved in defending against his own enemy with his kunai to protect the man as Sakura tried.

There was another flash of black and gust of wind, and in the next second both masked ninja were subdued, their necks locked under the arms of none other than Hatake Kakashi.

Sakura exhaled a sigh of relief, rising to her feet. She surveyed the scene of the fight, noting the hacked logs in the space where her sensei had 'perished.' _So it was a substitution jutsu..._

Sasuke's onyx eyes followed Kakashi as the jounin began binding the clawed ninja to a tree. His expression was unperturbed. Calm. He didn't seem the least bit bothered that they could have all lost their lives mere moments ago. Sakura shook her head. _Nothing less from Sasuke-san._ In the same cursory glance, Sakura spotted Naruto, who was also eying the Uchiha.

Unlike Sasuke, the blonde had a distressed, almost envious look in his doubtful eyes. Sakura half-wondered what he was thinking, but it undeniably concerned his mediocre performance during the brief skirmish. She almost expected the boy to tornado into another angry outburst to deflect from his own shame, as was his pattern.

Kakashi's voice interrupted any further reflections as they stood.

"I wish I could say you guys did a job well done." The ninja was facing his students, the enemy shinobi having been safely detained. "However, all I can commend is excellent quick-thinking on Sasuke's and Sakura's part. Each of you failed when it came to teamwork, and that part is very disappointing."

"I did my part," commented Sasuke, unappreciative of his sensei's endeavor to deflate his sense of victory. "I handled half the attack all on my own. I don't see what I did wrong."

"You just pointed out exactly what you did wrong, Sasuke. You did things on your own. Although I admire your instinctual reflex to protect your comrades, not once did you even glance at them to seek any sort of coordinated attack." The raven-haired boy grunted, but said nothing.

"Sakura, although you did attempt to work with Naruto, you need to remember to keep in mind the wellbeing of your teammates, both physical _and _emotional. You disregarded Naruto's fears and then expected him to act at the drop of a dime. That could have gotten both of you killed. Effective teamwork means being sensitive to your comrade's immediate needs at all times." Sakura's gaze dropped to the floor.

"And Naruto..." The genin winced at the sound of his name, anticipating what was coming. "Yes, it was pretty bad of you to freeze up like that. But what I'm more concerned about is your constant need to one-up everyone. You charged ahead of the group on our journey, and your separation left you vulnerable to attack. For all your talk, you weren't even able to defend yourself. If it weren't for Sasuke, you very well could have lost your life."

His sensei's words scalded his ears, his insides burning from his own inwardly-directed rage. The genin balled a fist at his side tightly.

"I know you are all capable of better than this," continued Kakashi after a reflective pause. "I've seen it, both during my bell test and on our most recent D-rank mission. Just be a little more conscious of that in the future. I have the utmost faith in each of you."

Sakura's gaze remained transfixed on the dirt path, chewing over the jounin's words. "._..keep in mind the wellbeing of your teammates, both physical and emotional…teamwork means being sensitive to your comrade's immediate needs at all times."_ And Dr. Sato's own statement shadowed it in the same train of thought.

"_Don't be so afraid to share yourself with your team, Sakura-san."_

Were these words of advice somehow related? Were Kakashi and Dr. Sato trying to tell her the same thing?

"Sakura-chan?"

The girl's gaze rose to meet who was calling her. Emerald clashed with a world of cerulean and Sakura gasped suddenly, hopping backward instinctually from the boy's close proximity. "Yes, Naruto-san? What is it?" she answered, keeping as much exasperation out of her voice as possible.

When his full face now came into view, she noticed something different about it. Despite being reprimanded, he did not appear defensive, and his cocky bravado had disappeared from his features. Was Naruto...being serious?

"I promise it won't happen again," he said earnestly. "I've worked so hard, training for hours and hours on my own each day for so long. But if that's not enough, I'll work harder. Next time, I will not need rescuing. Next time, I will not abandon my team." He beat his fist to his chest. "And I solemnly swear to you, Sakura-chan, that I will have your back in battle and off. Always. You can count on me. A ninja never goes back on his word, believe it."

For the first time since they became a team, Sakura felt something other than annoyance stir within her toward her blonde teammate. She continued to search through his honest sea blue eyes. There was something there in her, a familiar feeling she could not quite place. All she could be sure about in that moment was that now, more than any time ever, Naruto really resembled her lost friend, Usagi.

Sakura registered a strange sigh escape Naruto which drew her back into the immediate. His cheeks appeared severely flushed, and his lips were twisted into a distorted, somewhat goofy, grin. His eyes were glassy, dreamlike. Had her teammate been poisoned?

A dry cough from Kakashi drew everyone's attention back to him. Her sensei did not appear concerned for the boy's life – if anything, he seemed slightly uncomfortable. Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto, turning to the jounin. Sakura shrugged off her confusion over the blonde and listened.

"Now that my little lesson is over, it's time to address another important affair." The former ANBU shifted toward the bridge builder. "Tazuna-san, would you mind explaining why these ninja were so hell-bent on killing you?"

The older man gave a quiet huff but said nothing.

"There's a reason I chose not to immediately intervene in the battle, and I now know you were the target. At first, it wasn't clear who their quarry was, us ninja or you. But it became apparent that despite the fact that my students were posing a moderate threat and fighting back, they still went after you, the defenseless bridge builder. Given that, Tazuna-san, I think we deserve an explanation."

* * *

The game plan had changed considerably from the point of Team 7's departure from Konoha to their arrival in the Land of Waves moments ago. When they first started, their client was Tazuna, the bridge builder who needed some protection from bandits and thieves on his journey home – a C-ranked undertaking with no risk of battling with ninja.

Now, their ward was Tazuna, the bridge builder who was planning to liberate the impoverished Wave country from the oppressive power of a man named Gato by completing a bridge to the mainland. This Gato would not accept any threat to his control of the country and the sea, and had no doubt hired ninjas to assassinate this man. The mission had graduated to B-rank, and was beyond the skill level of the team and the affordability of the Wave country.

The punch line to this development? Team 7 was still on the mission.

They opted to defend the bridge builder from Gato's hitmen and assassins to the very end, despite lacking the skills to do so. It was because they could not bear to have the alternative happen on their watch – Gatou still in power, a nation still oppressed, and a dead bridge builder.

Sakura was far more aware, some might say paranoid, of her surroundings as the group neared Tazuna's village. She was nervous about the mission, about not being strong enough, about failing. She tried not to think about the death that would also accompany the failing part. The girl had put her faith in Kakashi though. He was a jounin after all. He would not have continued the mission if he didn't believe his advanced skills could compensate those of his students…right?

The bridge builder seemed tenser as they traveled deeper into the Wave country. He had not taken a sip of sake since their arrival. Sakura could not suppress the satisfaction his anxiety gave her. The man deserved to be afraid. Although his intentions were admirable, it did not change the fact that he had lied to them, and endangered their lives because of it. Sakura hated being lied to.

"Everyone, get down!" boomed Kakashi.

Sakura and the others dove to the floor, before even seeing the large, metallic plank of a sword sweep past where their bodies just stood. The blade lodged into a nearby try, and in the next second a tall ninja stood atop the weapon. The man had short dark hair, a masked mouth, and a malice evident in his shadowy eyes that made Sakura's breath catch in her throat.

"Well well, if it isn't Momochi Zabuza," announced Kakashi as if the two were old friends. "You're a missing-nin of the Village Hidden in the Mist."

"Ah. I know you," came the rogue's grizzly voice. "You're the copy ninja, Hatake Kakashi of the Sharingan. This should be interesting."

The next moments of battle would immortalize themselves into Sakura's memory. She had never witnessed a fight so dripped with icy killing intent in her entire thirteen years of life.

On Kakashi's insistence, the genin were instructed to stay out of direct combat, much to Naruto's dismay. The field was blanketed by a misty fog moments later, courtesy of Zabuza's Hidden Mist Justu. By that point, Sakura was thankful for Kakashi's mysteriously acquired Sharingan eye, a kekkai genkai of the Uchiha clan that could see through practically any jutsu. Their jounin-sensei seemed to navigate through the visual obscurity without any problem.

The fine points of the battle after the mist arrived were lost to the young ninja by then, the sound of splashing and clashes of metal being the only indication that a skirmish was taking place. Her hand shakily clenched her uselessly outstretched kunai. A battle between jounin-level ninja was truly chilling.

Her eyes gradually grew accustomed to the fog surrounding them, her sense of hearing becoming keener. By the time her hazed vision began to clear, she had just as suddenly wanted to wish it away. Her vision was invaded by the image of Zabuza, palm resting against a human-sized ball of water...with their sensei as its prisoner.

"We're finished," came a whisper beside her. She recognized it was Sasuke.

"Everyone, listen to me!" called Kakashi's gurgled voice within the sphere. "This battle is over. Take Tazuna and run away now!"

The genin all stood frozen in place. Their truest hope of victory over this madman was suddenly gone, encased in a sphere of water as hard as metal. But despite the hopelessness of the situation, how could they run? How could they desert their sensei?

"He's using every ounce of concentration to keep me in this prison. Any water clone he creates cannot venture far from his body. You must use this chance to run now!"

Sakura could feel Naruto trembling beside her. She was not going to burden her teammate with this decision left to them. She would not make the same mistake twice.

The girl shifted her gaze to Sasuke. Their eyes met, her grave expression mirrored in his. But they both knew what the other was thinking. _No matter how far we go or how fast we run, he'll track us down and slaughter us. Our only chance of survival is to free Kakashi-sensei._

"We've got to do it." Sasuke bolted toward the water prison, a newly formed water clone of Zabuza standing in his way. The boy fired a barrage of shuriken before leaping into the air to launch another attack. The clone swept the shuriken away with one swing of his sword. In the same sweep, he used his other hand to catch Sasuke in mid air, choking him in his grasp.

Sakura exploited Sasuke's distraction and charged toward the sphere, kunai in hand. This action was not missed by the clone as it flung Sasuke aside and dove for the girl. The sword came in an arch toward her and she blocked it with her kunai with a loud clang.

Now she was stuck, her body shuddering against the physical strain of his locked weapon. The clone retrieved a curved dagger with his other hand, and the kunoichi had one guess as to what he planned on doing with it.

Her eyelids squeezed shut in response to the anticipatory impalement. But instead of hearing the tear of blade against flesh, her ears registered the clank of metal on metal.

Her eyes snapped open to find Naruto, standing beside her with his own kunai raised in defense against the clone. His sapphire eyes were focused intently on his enemy, no fear visible in them. His body did not quiver; he stood against his foe with unwavering resolution and determination. He would keep his promise. He would not allow his comrade to fall.

A whisper of movement on her other side caught her attention as a blur of blue whizzed past them, its trajectory being the real Zabuza. "Demon Wind Shuriken!" Sasuke revealed a large, black shuriken and launched the spinning weapon toward their adversary.

The path was true, Sasuke's aim exact. Without his clone to protect him, the blades would have to hit Zabuza, unless the ninja released his hold on Kakashi and escaped. But when the weapon neared connecting, the rogue's free hand shot forward, catching the shuriken.

The man chuckled, tossing the blade back at Sasuke. The Uchiha slammed his kunai into the weapon, causing it to ricochet toward Zabuza'a clone. The water copy retracted his blades from Sakura and Naruto, leaping over the three genin to avoid the assault and repositioned himself between the Leaf ninja and Kakashi. The three genin scrambled backwards to regroup.

"What are you doing?" yelled Kakashi, eyes wide in disbelief. "This fight was over the moment I got caught, now get going!"

"No way, sensei," cried Naruto, no tremble evident on his body. "The day we became genin, we all promised to never forsake our comrades no matter what." The boy glanced at Sakura then turned back. "And I made an oath to never again abandon a teammate. I never go back on my word, sensei. Believe it!"

"Listen to me, you were not brought here to prove how brave you are. It was to save the bridge builder. Now stay on mission and take off!"

Naruto blinked back, the realization that another life was also in their hands donning on him. "B-Bridge builder?" He turned a hesitant gaze to the old man behind them.

"I suppose this is my fault isn't it," he said somberly. "My desire to live is what got you all in this mess in the first place. So go..." The genin stared back at him. "You heard me, go protect your sensei!"

Sakura felt a tug of admiration for the man, grateful for his sensitivity and self-sacrificing attitude toward them. Maybe he wasn't that much of a deplorable human being after all. Sasuke and Naruto turned their focus back to Zabuza, grinning. Sakura knew they were ready to continue the fight, almost eager. But they all understood that they had to play things smart.

"Whatever attack we make on Zabuza," started Sasuke, "it'll have to be while his free hand is preoccupied. Otherwise, any distraction on the clone is pointless."

"And it's not like we can defeat the clone and then go after him," continued Naruto. "He'll just make another one."

Sakura rested a pensive hand on her chin in thought. They probably could not defeat his clone either way. It may not be extremely durable, but it still had the skill set of a jounin. Also, Zabuza would be expecting them to distract the clone again and make an attempt on the prison. What they needed was a way to make him drop his guard and get close enough to him at the same time. A Trojan horse.

"Beat the water clone," she blurted, the whispers of a plan forming in her head.

"What? But I just said if we did that, he'd just-"

"I know that Naruto-san, but..._trust_ me. Get the clone with an army of your own shadow clones, as many as you can. _Wipe him out_. And then...we can do what Naruto-san and I did during the bell test."

A soft smirk etched onto Sasuke's face, his mind following Sakura's train of thought. "_Wipe the clone out_?" he repeated, his words deliberate. Sakura nodded. "A sea of shadow clones." He turned to Naruto.

The blonde shifted back and forth between his teammates' purposeful looks. A diabolical grin decorated his face. "I'll make as many as I can."

They all nodded.

"Sakura, _protect Tazuna_."

"Got it, Sasuke-san."

A few hand seals from Naruto, and the entire space was mantled with shadow clones. They all charged toward the clone, obscuring him temporarily from view. Seconds into the melee, the water clone leapt into the air, swiping at a few clones before landing before his creator. Despite its absence, the shadow clones continued their brawl in a disorganized mess of orange.

"You're doing it all wrong, you idiot," exclaimed Sasuke angrily. "The clone's behind you." The Uchiha soared into the air. "Fire Style: Fireball Justu!"

A ball of fire erupted from Sasuke's mouth, but the water clone easily evaded the blow by retreating immediately next to the real Zabuza.

"I missed," he breathed.

Another snigger escaped Zabuza as he laughed at the pathetic display before him, Naruto's clones still fighting and disintegrating in a mass on the field. "This is how you expect to free your sensei? You're all going to die."

In that same breath, Zabuza'a water clone turned to the chuckling man and swung a blade into him. The rogue's sharp reflexes allowed him to catch the weapon swiftly, ignoring the pain a he knocked it backward and grasped at his replica's throat. "What's the meaning of this?"

His black eyes darted to the field, examining the mass of clones more closely. As more disappeared, it became apparent that the hoard of blonde ninja was not attacking each other as it seemed. They were locked in combat with the missing-nin's water clone.

"Then this is...?" The ninja in Zabuza's hand exploded in a puff of smoke, revealing Sakura gasping against his grip. "You thought you could trick me, ay? Now you're gonna pay the price!"

A splash of water behind him caught his attention. The rogue craned his neck to find Naruto emerging from the water behind him, poised in the air for attack. The boy hurled his kunai at the arm feeding the water prison with chakra. With his other hand occupied with gripping Sakura, Zabuza was forced to relinquish his hold of the water prison to catch the blade.

The water slumped back into the lake from which it came en masse, revealing a drenched and unhindered Kakashi. The jounin's first act of freedom was to remove Sakura from the rogue's clutches. The silver-haired ninja's movement was instant, lunging for the girl, grabbing her body and swinging a kick into Zabuza's arm in one fluid sweep.

The entire party regrouped near Tazuna, Kakashi landing with Sakura in his arms and Naruto following behind him. The field was finally empty of Naruto's clones. The Sakura that had been standing near Tazuna the entire time, which was actually a transformed shadow clone, also disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"That was an excellent plan, everyone," said Kakashi, resting Sakura down. "And even more impressive teamwork. I'm so proud of all of you. Now, I'll handle things from here. I won't be taken off-guard again." Kakashi leapt back onto the water to face Zabuza.

Sakura felt a little woozy, having been deprived of oxygen for so long. By the time she regained full awareness of her surroundings, the battle had been clearly won, courtesy of the hypnotic powers of Kakashi's Sharingan along with a blast of his Water Vortex Jutsu.

Zabuza was reeling from the explosion of water, his frame wavering against the tree he had just been slammed into. Before Kakashi could deliver the final blow, a pair of senbon needles flew onto the scene, lodging into the rogue's throat with deadly accuracy. Zabuza collapsed instantly, his eyes frozen open as his lifeless body slumped onto the floor.

The Leaf ninja scanned the trees for the source of the surprise attack, anxious to determine whether this assailant was friend or foe.

Two men stood calmly atop a tree branch, their faces hidden under masks which Kakashi knew were meant for tracker ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist. "Leave this to us," asserted one of the men. "Zabuza is a missing-nin of our village. And so it is our duty to rid the world of him."

Sakura gazed up at the shinobi in awe, turning back to the motionless form of Zabuza on the ground. _They ended him, a jounin-level ninja, in one single blow... _Her gaze shifted to her teammates, their frozen faces revealing that they shared Sakura's sentiments. Kakashi, however, remained fixed on the tracker ninja.

"If you do not believe us," began the other, his tone more diplomatic, "you can ensure he is dead yourself before we dispose of the body."

Kakashi approached the limp lump of flesh, checking for a pulse but finding none. "He is indeed dead. This is, as you said, your business and we'll leave you to your work."

The larger of the two men landed beside Zabuza, lifted the body and vanished along with his companion in an instant. Naruto's eyes remained transfixed in the direction the trackers disappeared off to, his fist balled at his side.

Kakashi concealed his Sharingan behind his headband, turning to the group. "All right everyone, our mission isn't over just yet. We still have to get the bridge builder to his bridge, after all. Time to move ou-"

The jounin's body suddenly spasmed in place, his speech interrupted. His students watched him with concern, but before they could ask him what was wrong, their sensei descended to the ground.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

* * *

**As you might have guessed, there will be points throughout the story I will skim over or skip (such as, in this chapter, the fine points of Kakashi's tussle with Zabuza). These portions represent points in the story identical to that point in the anime. When I skim over parts, you can safely assume it went on as in the anime.**


	6. The Forest of Chakra

******Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**********RE-WRITE: 3/15/12**

* * *

_**The Forest of Chakra**_

The band of ninja and their client, Tazuna, had at last reached the safe haven of the bridge builder's home. At first, it seemed Team 7 had finally caught a break, having eliminated the largest threat to Tazuna's life. But no such luck. Their anticipated resting period was marred by an unfortunate plot twist.

From the suspicious way in which the so-called tracker ninja had handled Zabuza's body, coupled with their conspicuous use of senbon needles, Kakashi had deduced that the two trackers were actually Zabuza's accomplices. They had stepped in to save their master's life by simulating his death, and now the threat placed by the Demon of the Hidden Mist was still upon them.

With Kakashi on bed-rest for one week for overworking his Sharingan, it was up to his students to make preparations of their now A-ranked mission. The plan was simple. The jounin would train all his pupils for four full days while Tazuna tended to his bridge. As the unknown day of Zabuza's recovery would draw closer, the genin would take shifts guarding the bridge builder, each sacrificing one day of training to do so should they need more training.

Now Kakashi, on crutches, and the three genin stood in the forest on the outskirts of Tazuna's village. Their sensei had stated he was going to teach them a useful skill; one that would be vital in the coming fight with Zabuza and his men.

"What is it? What is it?" inquired Naruto, barely able to contain his enthusiasm. "So what're we gonna do? Spar, polish our taijutsu skills, hey, or maybe learn a new jutsu? That water vortex thing you did yesterday was super cool!"

"No Naruto, even better...you're going to climb a tree." Kakashi raised one arm to exhibit the trees around them.

"Climb trees?" repeated Naurto, his nose crinkled in confusion and disappointment.

The older ninja nodded. "The catch is that you're not allowed to use your hands. Only your chakra."

The blonde's frown grew deeper. "I don't get it. How's that supposed to train us?"

"It will allow you to gain much better control of your chakra. Once you do that, not only will your chakra last longer in battle, but you will also be able to master any jutsu – theoretically anyway."

Naruto did not appear convinced. Sakura shared her blonde teammate's skepticism, but they did not have time to contest their sensei's advice. The danger of Zabuza and his partners was swiftly upon them, and to survive the threat, Sakura was willing to try anything.

"Trust me on this, guys. Build up chakra in the soles of your feet and walk up the tree – of course it'll be difficult at first so you'll probably need a running start. Use a kunai to mark off each point you reach, and watch your progress."

The three genin conceded to their sensei's request, picked up their kunai, built up their chakra and ran at three separate trees.

Naruto barely got up two feet before he fell off, grumbling as he rolled along the floor and held his head in pain.

Sasuke's try was considerably better, managing to climb almost ten feet before he was repelled off by his own chakra.

Sakura registered her teammates' falls but held her focus, keeping the even stream of chakra to her feet as she raced up the bark. She had barely realized how far she had climbed until she saw no more trunk ahead of her, twisting her body to grapple a tree branch before she fell. The tree she had chosen must have been too short.

The kunoichi hoisted herself onto the branch and looked down, her lips parting in awe as the small forms of her team below her came into view. She must have been at least fifty feet high! She couldn't bear surveying the ground a second longer, her dizziness getting the better of her. So she made her way up the tree just dandy. But how on earth was she supposed to get _down_?

After some hesitation, she latched herself onto the body of the tree and slid down the trunk, modulating chakra in her feet to control her speed.

"Weeeeeell," called Kakashi when she was in earshot, "it looks like the female member of this group is the one with the most advanced control of her chakra. Well done, Sakura."

She descended to the base in no time at all, her feet warm from the friction of her slide but her body otherwise intact. The kunoichi turned from the tree to find three pairs of eyes on her. Sasuke's face was expressionless, only his deeply creased brow relaying any of what he was thinking. Kakashi watched her with quiet pride, while Naruto's eyes exuded boundless awe and admiration. "Sakura-chan, I always knew you were super cool and amazing. That was totally awesome!"

Her cheeks burned a fierce red, and she suddenly wished she was back at the top of the tree. "It wasn't that...I mean I didn't...it wasn't such a big deal..."

"On the contrary," chimed Kakashi, "tree-climbing is supposed to be quite difficult, even for advanced ninja. And yet Sakura seems to be a natural at it. Looks like she's far closer to becoming a powerful ninja than anyone else on this squad. Hmm..."

Sasuke and Naruto exchanged looks, their gazes piercing and intensified. The sentiment expressed was clear: they would not be beaten, neither by Sakura nor by each other. These glares, however, were lost to Sakura. She skittered up the tree before Kakashi could even finish his comment, blushing feverishly.

The team continued their training, the morning's serenity interrupted only by the occasional frustrated grunt from Sasuke, or even more occasional curses from Naruto. Sakura now stood at the base of her tree after her eleventh consecutive successful climb. She had made some progress, to be sure. The kunoichi found that by her seventh try she no longer needed to run at the tree to be able to scale it. But apart from the physical exhaustion of using her chakra, the candy-haired youth did not feel much stronger or more skilled.

Her emerald eyes explored the field, falling on her two teammates. Both boys appeared slightly haggard, smudges of dirt marring their faces and clothing. But no amount of grime could mask the fire ablaze within their eyes. There was a steady yet fierce glow about them. Even as Naruto rolled along the floor grabbing at the telltale bump on his head for the umpteenth time, Sakura had never felt so much admiration for her teammates. _They're trying so hard, putting in so much effort. And me? I'm just..._

"Is something the matter, Sakura? I noticed you stopped climbing."

The kunoichi turned to her sensei. "Nothing's really, um, wrong. It's just I'm sort of feeling..."

"Bored?" The girl winced but nodded. "Well I suppose we're going to have to find you something a bit more challenging then, won't we?"

Kakashi hobbled on his crutches away from their current training area, Sakura grabbing her gear and apprehensively but curiously following suit. "Sasuke, Naruto," called the jounin over his shoulder. "I'll be taking Sakura to the lake in this direction for some higher level chakra control exercises. She's just too advanced for this tree-climbing stuff."

The sensei continued out the training area, a smug expression hidden beneath his mask despite the stony glares his male students were flashing at his retreating back. Sakura was, for once, too focused on the message of his statement to entertain her usual assault of embarrassment. _Lake? We're going to a lake? And this new chakra training is going to be harder than tree-climbing._

"All right," started Kakashi once they arrived on the bank five minutes later. "Like I had mentioned, this will be a more advanced training for chakra control than tree-climbing. The goal is simple: walk on the water."

Sakura guessed what her sensei had meant. She was to funnel chakra to her feet to repel against the water and stand on top of it, much like they were using chakra to stick themselves to the trees. "But sensei, I don't understand. How is that better than tree-climbing?"

"When you climb a tree, you exert a fixed amount of chakra at one point on the soles of your feet. To walk on water, one must apply chakra on various changing areas on the soles and constantly alter the amount of chakra exerted as well, to account for the irregular movement of the water below. As you can probably imagine, that takes far more skill. Are you certain you're up for it?"

The images of Naruto and Sasuke flickered into her mind. The girl nodded to her sensei, her evergreen eyes alight with the same ferocious determination as those of her teammates. _It looks like Naruto and Sasuke aren't the only ones getting motivated. Sakura is just as determined. And they'll all just keep getting stronger...together._

The kunoichi stepped onto the wooden deck jutting off the bank. Throwing her sensei one last apprehensive glance, Sakura faced forward, held her hands to focus her chakra into her feet as she had done before, and stepped off the deck.

The lake engulfed her body almost immediately, the cold waves of water rolling over her as she was sucked into its depths. She released her arms and chakra and clambered to the top, gasping for air as she bobbed on the surface.

"Not so easy is it?"

Sakura grasped at the wooden boards, hoisting herself onto the deck. She could just hear the smirk in her teacher's voice. The drenched girl rose onto the deck, drawing on her sopping coldness to steel her gaze on her sensei. "I _will_ get this, Kakashi-sensei."

_Hmm... _Sakura continued on with her training, leaving Kakashi with his thoughts. _Sakura...I've never seen her look at me as confidently as she did just now. The girl certainly doesn't lack drive. But she's going to need more than that. She can't just act like a part of this team. She needs to __**be**__ a part of it._

* * *

Sakura had continued training in her little corner of the forest for the better part of the day. The pinkette looked up at the considerably darkened sky. Her training would become difficult without the light and warmth of the sun, but she desperately wanted to carry on. For all the hours she spent on the lake, she could only manage to stand on the water for a maximum of four seconds before losing control. This is all she had to show for after dedicating an entire day to training. But she had to get this right. She had to master water-walking. She had to be able to take full control of her chakra if they ever hoped to defeat Zabuza.

_Gurrrrrgle-groan-groan-groooooooan_

The kunoichi's fortified expression crumbled into one of frailty as her skyward eyes descended to her protesting tummy. Apart from the snack she had packed for the afternoon, Sakura had eaten nothing the entire day. And her grumbling stomach was painfully reminding her of that now.

"I need to eat," she sighed, completely crestfallen. A good ninja knows to distinguish between battles that can be won and lost, and waging war against her snarling stomach was beyond hopeless. She held her shivering body and made her way to her teammates.

The girl arrived in the other training area just in time to catch Naruto spill onto the ground after another climb, Sasuke descending shortly thereafter. The two boys were almost as soaked as Sakura was, only she knew the source of their moisture was perspiration. The genin were panting heavily, their bodies sporting many more scrapes, bruises and blotches of grime than she had remembered.

Sasuke had made it to almost a third of the tree's length, but Naruto was close behind him. The boys glared at each other hotly, dusting themselves off and running at the trees without further hesitation.

_How do they just keep going?_

"That's enough for one day," called Kakashi behind her. Sakura had not realized their sensei had returned after retiring to Tazuna's house for the afternoon. The two boys fell to the ground once again, looking up at the kunai marks on their respective trees with a trace of longing in their eyes. "There will be plenty of time to try again tomorrow. Tazuna-san and his family are waiting for us for dinner. Plus it would be nice to get Sakura into some dry clothes before she catches her death out here."

The boys turned to their female teammate, taking in her drenched form for the first time. "What the heck happened to you, Sakura-chan?"

A defeated sigh escaped the kunoichi's lips. "Tried to walk on water. And failed. A lot."

* * *

The third evening of Team 7's training was coming to an end. Sakura stood atop the deck of the lake, panting, the all-too-familiar feel of her saturated clothing pressed against her. Her progress was becoming more pronounced, but she was far from chakra-control perfection. She could maintain her footing on the lake surface indefinitely, so long as there was no fluctuation in the water. The problem was that natural water bodies did not typically remain stationary; they flowed, however inconvenient that was for her.

A dry cough forced her attention away from the water. Sasuke was waiting for her on the bank, his hand resting coolly in his pocket despite how worn out his physique appeared from the day's training. "Sasuke-san?" The candy-haired girl ambled toward her teammate, mildly suppressing a shiver.

"Kakashi-sensei wants us back for dinner. He sent me to get you."

"Oh." The pinkette shook out her short locks to remove some moisture, shuddering as she rubbed her ice-cold fingers under her arms.

"Here."

A white towel obscured the shivering girl's view and she grasped it. "Kakashi-sensei brought this with him," continued Sasuke as the pair walked into the forest. "I don't know why you never decided to take one with you to your training sessions."

The girl wrapped the sheet of cloth around her dripping form. "I didn't want to inconvenience Tsunami-san even more with extra laundry. She's already going to so much trouble for us."

The raven-haired boy gave an acknowledging grunt but said nothing. The two continued their walk in silence. It was not a heavy, uncomfortable kind of stillness though. It was just peaceful. A peaceful quiet, which Sakura found especially relieving. It had been another long, hard training day. Some quiet was all she needed to calm and rejuvenate her-

"GAH! WHY CAN'T I GET THIS RIGHT?"

The pair of genin rolled their eyes, immediately recognizing the source of the outburst. "Naruto, if you keep overreacting like this, you'll lose your concentration...ah, you two are back already. We should get going then."

Sakura and Sasuke entered the training area just as Naruto started one more attempt at his tree. The kunoichi noted the visual change in her teacher as he came into view. "It's great seeing you finally off your crutches, sensei. Oh, and thanks for bringing this towel for me. It'll be a lot warmer walking back now."

"I'm afraid Sasuke is more deserving of your thanks than me. He's the one who asked me to bring this back for you."

"You did?" asked Sakura turning to her quiet teammate, confusion and surprise evident in her quizzical expression.

The Uchiha shrugged, not making eye contact. "Only because I got tired of hearing your teeth chattering every time we walked back to the house."

The blonde crashed to the ground, muttering more curses under his breath as he rose from the floor and walked out the field. "I _will_ get this," he pledged, fist balled tightly. The remainder of Team 7 exchanged questioning glances before following the frenzied boy to Tazuna's.

Needless to say, Naruto's mood lightened considerably once they had gotten to the dinner table. The scents invading their nostrils were intoxicating, the savory foods stretched before them. The bridge builder's daughter, Tsunami, was truly an excellent cook. Despite the famine which plagued her small town, the blue-haired young woman always ensured the ninja and her family were fed well. Her dinners were never extravagant, but they were never bland.

The atmosphere at the table itself was always a delicate mix of casual and strained. Tsunami had gone to great lengths to make the ninja feel comfortable in her home, opening her kitchen to them with her cooking and opening her closet by providing Sakura dry clothing.

However, the ambiance glided toward tense whenever anything concerned Tsunami's son, Inari. The small young boy's expression was always withdrawn and impassive beneath his white fisherman's hat, his eyes showing hints of aggression only when they fell upon Naruto. Every now and then, his dark orbs would stray toward a torn picture hanging in the kitchen and his expression would become even more soured.

At first, Sakura could not understand the boy's sullenness, but attempted to ignore it. She did not like to meddle in the personal affairs of other people. They were here to be ninja, not counselors. Sasuke seemed to share her views; Naruto, not so much.

The first night they shared dinner together, the blonde had questioned the family about the ripped photograph. After Inari had silently excused himself from – or more like ran out of – the kitchen, Tazuna had explained a heartrending piece of their town's past. He spoke of Inari's father figure, Kaiza, the man the entire village looked up to as a hero, including Inari. He had taught the townspeople courage and fortitude, and was slain by Gato because of it. Well that certainly explained Inari's bittered outlook on life.

After that, Naruto seemed more determined than ever to excel in his training. He openly proclaimed that he would prove to this land that heroes do still exist, that bravery is a cultivated trait everyone can embody. It was this kind of meddlesome talk which earned him the disdain from Inari that the group had grown to accept.

"You're training is going well I take it?" came Tazuna's rough voice after everyone had cleared their plates.

"You bet'cha," exclaimed Naruto with a grin. "I can't make it to the top just yet, but I'm not givin' up, believe it."

"And what about you?" asked Tsunami, turning her charcoal eyes on Sakura. "You still come in here dripping wet from your training every night. I worry you might catch a cold if you keep this up."

Sakura's emerald eyes stared into Tsunami's concerned face, unable to find her words. The look in this woman's eyes, she had seen it before. It had been such a long time since anyone had gazed at her that way. But even now, she could visualize it, her mind's eye slowly substituting Tsunami's features with that of her late-mother's.

"Sakura will be just fine," answered Kakashi for her. The dazed girl turned her attention to her sensei. "You've actually been progressing quite well, from what I've observed. You just need to stop focusing on the water so much."

Sakura's eyebrows furrowed together. _**Stop**__ focusing on the water? What on earth does that mean? _Tazuna spoke before she could voice her question.

"I've been meaning to ask you this, Kakashi, but why did you decide to continue on this mission anyway? Especially after I lied to you and all."

The jounin rested his elbows on the table, clasping his hands before his chin thoughtfully. "Those who stray from the path of justice have no courage. But under the wing of a strong leader, cowardice cannot survive."

Those words tickled something in Sakura's memory, and she was certain she had read them somewhere in her studies, but she could not place it. The kitchen's occupants stared at the older ninja questioningly.

"That's a quote from the first Hokage," he answered finally.

The room held a pensive pause.

"But why...?" Inari's small voice drew everyone's attention. He was staring into his lap, stifling a sob, when his head snapped to eye-level. "All this stupid training is just a waste of time! Gato's got a huge army and they'll beat you down dead for sure. You guys think you're so tough, with your cool words and your training, but it doesn't mean a thing. No matter what, the strong always win and the weak always lose. That's the way things work."

"Hmph," grumbled Naruto deeply. "Just speak for yourself, all right? It won't be like that for _me_, you got that?" Sakura detected something different in her blonde teammate's tone. There was something more personal about it, more serious.

"Be quiet! Just be quiet!" The dark-haired boy slammed his hands on the table and rose from his seat, eyes ablaze. "Just looking at you makes me sick. You don't know anything about this land or our troubles. You're just butting in, thinking you can fix everything. You know nothing about the suffering and pain we've all been through!"

"Just look at yourself!" snapped Naruto, rising from his chair across from Inari to meet the boy's gaze head-on. "The people around you are trying so hard to make this place better. And what do _you _decide to do? You just sit there, crying and whining and complaining about everything, like you're some sorry victim. Why don't you try _doing_ something for a change? Instead of just sitting there and acting like a little coward!"

Sakura had never seen this side of Naruto. Even as Inari stood there with tears streaked down his cheeks, silent except for the occasional whimper, Naruto's steely gaze evoked no warmth. What had happened to him to make him so unsympathetic to this little boy?

The blonde turned away, ramming his hand in his pocket as he left the kitchen and went outside. Sakura watched him exit the room before returning her eyes to the table. Inari had left the room as well.

"I apologize for the outburst," said Kakashi, his eye on Tazuna and Tsunami. "Naruto allows his emotions to get the better of him sometimes. You have to forgive him."

"What he said was a bit harsh, I must admit," commented Tazuna. "But I believe the little shrimp's heart was in the right place. Seemed kinda personal to me though."

"It was. You see, like Inari, Naruto grew up without a father. In fact, he never knew either of his parents. And he grew up without a friend in the world."

Sakura glanced at the door Naruto had exited moments ago. She had overheard enough about Naruto from her classmates at the academy to gather that he wasn't well-liked among the village folk. She had always attributed it to his reputation as a prankster. His antics had more than once disrupted her classes, after all.

"I believe he understands your grandson's instinct to sulk and give up," continued Kakashi. "But I don't think Naruto wants him to. I believe his behavior makes much more sense once you put it into context. I'll go talk to Inari. And as for you two..." Sakura and Sasuke turned to their sensei. "It's about time you headed to bed. Regain your strength for tomorrow."

Sasuke nodded and the two genin rose from their places. Sakura's eyes lingered back at the kitchen exit.

"Naruto will be fine," assured Kakashi. "Trust me, Sakura. Now get to bed."

* * *

They all sat for breakfast the next morning, Naruto notably absent.

"Guess the kid decided to stay out all night huh? From the look on his face when he walked out last night, I'd bet he was training."

Tsunami turned to her father. "You shouldn't say that so nonchalantly," she reprimanded. "He could be lying out there dead somewhere. A child shouldn't be left in the woods by himself late at night."

"Naruto is a full-fledged ninja," chimed Kakashi. "He'll be okay, Tsunami-san. Please don't worry."

The blue-haired woman appeared dissatisfied by the jounin's response but said nothing, busying herself over the dirty dishes of the morning.

Sasuke lifted himself from his chair and sauntered to the front door. "I'm going for a walk," he said casually.

"More like checking up on Naruto," muttered Kakashi to no one in particular.

Sakura finished her last bite of breakfast, mulling over Kakashi's last words. Sasuke's actions confused her sometimes. He did unexpected things she could not make sense of, like being concerned for Naruto, even though the blonde thoroughly annoyed him...or bringing her that towel yesterday so she wouldn't be cold.

Naruto's actions were probably even more surprising. The blonde was so hell-bent on completing his training and saving the town, he was risking his own life juts to do it. Yet he wanted to be Hokage. Was he too dense to realize that he couldn't fulfill his lifelong dream if he were dead?

And why exactly did he want to be Hokage anyway? According to Kakashi, her teammate hadn't lived a very charmed life. Why was he so adamant to be the chief protector of a village that left him with such a rotten childhood? It was all very confusing and frustrating, trying to understand Naruto. But then, her teammate didn't seem like the type to think things through too often. He blundered through things. That was his way, and he was going to get himself killed because of it. Even now, he stayed out all night without rest, and he didn't even think to at least make it back for breakfast to regain his strength.

"He's probably starving..." mumbled Sakura.

"Here," came a voice above her moments later. Sakura looked up to find Tsunami over her, a small lunchbox in her hands. The woman gave an empathetic smile. "For your friend."

Sakura wordlessly accepted the container. This woman had that same motherly look on her face as last night. Did she mistake Sakura's reproof of Naruto as worry? She just thought he was a careless idiot, that's all.

"You should find Naruto and give that to him."

Sakura nodded, following her sensei's instructions and making her way to the door. "Oh, a-and thank you...Tsunami-san," she called over her shoulder as she walked out.

Sakura wandered partway through the forest, trying to find either of her teammates. And although she felt it was loathsomely irresponsible of Naruto to remain in the woods training in his condition, she found herself rushing to bring this food to him. _The sooner I can get back to my training,_ she rationalized.

"You're another Leaf ninja, aren't you?"

The kunoichi turned to the direction of the questioning voice. It belonged to a beautiful young girl. She had stunning waist-length dark hair and was wearing a pink kimono.

"Yes I am. Have you seen either of my teammates?"

The stranger smiled and nodded. "They're both just beyond the hill behind you. I was speaking to the blonde one just moments ago."

"Oh, thank you so much for your help, miss." The kunoichi bowed gratefully.

The dark-haired girl stared at Sakura gently, a soft smile in place. Her reaction was a bit puzzling, and the Leaf ninja gave her a look of bewilderment. The girl shook her head. "Everyone seems to think I'm a girl today." The stranger turned and walked away.

The kunoichi blinked at her retreating back dumbly. _She's...__**not**__ a she?_

* * *

After Sakura found Naruto and Sasuke and delivered the lunchbox, she returned to the lake and began her work. _Stop focusing on the water. S__**top**__ focusing on the water?_

Kakashi's advice to her from last night rolled around in her head for the better part of the morning. She laid herself on the deck, playing with the water below her with one hand. She wasn't going to just blindly hop on the water this time. It was her fourth day of training, and she was going to be smart about things.

She swung her body toward the edge of the board, grabbing onto the wood as her legs dangled toward the lake. The girl focused her chakra into her feet and guided them onto the water surface. The two bodies met with resistance, and the girl shut her eyes as she modulated her chakra. Within seconds, she felt secure and released her hands from the deck.

Things seemed to be going well, and the girl took two steps across the water, remaining within arms' reach of the deck. There wasn't the usual wobble in her stance; yes, she had gotten better at this. But was it just because the water was just calm that morning?

The girl opened her eyes to check and was hit by the pull of gravity. She swung her arms sporadically, trying to regain balance, but her posture was growing increasingly lop-sided. Her flailing arms sought the deck, but the sudden whirl of gravity caught her off-guard. She braced herself for the cold splash that was going to come next-

Two pairs of hands seized her own, heaving her entire body onto the safety of the dry deck with ease. When she saw that her feet met the more reliable solidness of the wood, she turned upward to find her saviors.

"Woah, that coulda ended badly," laughed Naruto, a sheepish grin in place.

"What are you guys doing here? N-Not that I'm not grateful, but..."

"We came to train," answered Sasuke simply. "We needed to amp things up, and this lake is surrounded by the tallest trees in the forest, since it's so close to a water source. We won't disturb you." They dark-haired boy turned on his heels and found a new tree to climb.

"Well we-we also didn't want to leave you out here all alone again. I mean, it's the very last training day we have altogether before the big fight. After today, we take shifts to guard the old man."

Naruto smiled shyly at her, but Sakura only looked at him with even more confusion.

"So we came over here," he continued, after no response. "But then we found that you were training, and then we were watching you do it for a bit, and Sakura-chan, you looked so cool walking on the water like that, but then you were gonna fall and then we rushed over and caught you so you wouldn't get all wet."

"You're rambling." She screwed her lips together. "But I get the idea. Um, thank you Naruto-san."

The blonde grinned widely, throwing a hand behind his head. "No problem, Sakura-chan. And it's like I keep telling yah, you don't have to keep using –san with me haha. We're friends."

The boy strode toward the bank to continue his training. "Good luck with your training Sakura-chan! Not that you need it. I mean, you were doing so good before you opened your eyes. I just know you're gonna get it soon." He gave her a thumbs-up and left to find a new tree of his own.

Something clicked in Sakura as she watched her teammate scurry away. _Better before I opened my eyes huh? Could that really be the key I've been looking for? _The girl glanced back at the water. _What do I do different when my eyes are closed from when I have them open?_

After a few more seconds' pause, the girl stepped back toward the edge of the deck. _Might as well try it than just sit here and think, although...I was reeeeally hoping not to get wet again today._

With one last sigh, the pinkette shut her eyes and jumped onto the water. She stood atop the surface with ease, as she usually had done, but kept her lids closed. After she felt secure once again, she walked – one, two, three, now four steps forward. There were some moments when she felt herself lose balance. The girl guessed the lake must have been shifting beneath her, but she tried not to think on it. _**Don't**__ focus on the water...focus on you. Focus on keeping your balance._

The kunoichi tested herself by pacing back and forth before she finally made it back to the deck and climbed onto it. Only after she was standing atop the wooden boards did she allow her eyes to flutter open.

"I did it?" she blurted in shock. "I...I really did?" An amused smile slowly graced her lips. She was beaming, beside herself with glee. _I finally did it! And I didn't even need to get wet!_

* * *

It was now late in the evening, the purple sky being the telltale sign of the swiftly approaching night. The three exhausted genin sprawled on the ground in a circle together, stomachs full and their faces to the heavens.

The pinkette had resolved to be indifferent to her teammates' presence that day. But not even she could deny it now – it had been surprisingly comforting, having Naruto and Sasuke around. After getting so used to being on a team with them for over two months, being alone for long periods of time actually started to get a bit lonely. She would not consider them friends. And these boys made no sense to her whatsoever. But she had to admit, they weren't _that_ bad. After all, it had been because of Naruto's comment that she finally found the trick to her training, wasn't it?

She had realized that chakra control was more about trusting her body's instincts than consciously altering chakra flow to what she thought would be right. Once she recognized that, walking on water became as easy as climbing trees. She inwardly hated surrendering control of herself that way, but she tried to see it as giving up control to get control. It allowed her to stay dry anyway.

Naruto and Sasuke had made great progress as well. The two could make it the entire way up a tree without falling. However, they couldn't manage it every time. It was somewhat of a hit-or-miss, though Sasuke seemed to have a higher success rate than Naruto did. The boys would definitely need another day of training, but Sakura would be heading back to guard duty the next morning.

"I'm so fuuuuuull," groaned Naruto, though she could hear the contentment in his voice.

"It was nice of Tsunami-san to pack dinner for us tonight and send it over here. Though I wonder if Kakashi-sensei had told her to do that."

"I'm guessing he did," agreed Sasuke. "Probably figured he'd give us all one night of uninterrupted training together before we split up tomorrow."

"I just don't get why they had to send the dinners with _him_."

"You mean Inari-kun? You should probably be a bit more sympathetic to him, Naruto-san. You are older than him you know."

"I somewhat agree with Naruto on this one," sighed Sasuke. "Kid's nothing but a little brat."

"Sasuke-san."

"You haven't had to put up with him as much as we have, Sakura," answered Sasuke. "He's been watching us like a hawk every day we've been in this forest. Hiding behind the trees, as if a real ninja wouldn't notice that."

"He has?" This time it was Naruto who spoke.

"I really shouldn't be surprised you haven't noticed, dobe. He watches you most of all. Kid's really got it out for you, not that I blame him."

"I just want him to be a stronger person." Naruto's cerulean eyes searched the air above them, noticing the first stars peering through the inky sky. "No one should live with that kind of loneliness and not do anything about it. He needs to stick up for himself."

Sakura turned to her side, watching Naruto as he continued to gaze upward. So he wasn't just meddling and trying to be the hero just to be cool. He had genuinely cared for the boy. _Uzumaki Naruto...you really don't make sense to me at all._

"Check out this sky."

The girl shifted her emerald eyes skyward, taking in what Naruto was pointing out. The sheet of black above them dazzled with the tiny fireflies of light. The expanse of atmosphere above them seemed to stretch on to infinity, with darkness and with starlight.

"It's beautiful," remarked Sakura in awe. It had been so long since she had done this. She hadn't stargazed since she was a little girl.

"I love looking up at the stars," continued Naruto, his breath catching the same awe as Sakura's held. "When I do, it makes me really believe that anything's possible. That if you try hard enough for anything, it's within reach. The sky's the limit, you know?"

"Hmph."

"What's your problem now, Sasuke-teme?"

"I hate stargazing."

"Sasuke-teme hates something," teased Naruto. "That's a shocker."

"Why don't you like it, Sasuke-san?" asked Sakura, her tone degrees more sympathetic than her teammate's had been.

"Looking up at the sky like this...it just makes you feel so small. Insignificant. Like everything you are, everything you do, everything you've been through – it just means nothing. You're just a speck in the universe."

There was a beat.

"Way to kill the mood, Sasuke."

"You're the one who asked, dobe," answered the Uchiha with a grin. "What about you, Sakura?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, yeah," chanted Naruto with enthusiasm. "We told you ours. Tell us yours. Tell us yours."

"Oh, uh, well I don't know you guys. It's been a long time since I've done this." Five years to be exact, she added mentally. She used to watch the stars with her father all the time. They would talk and laugh, and he'd tell her stories. He was a firm believer in the therapy of stargazing. And she knew why.

"Aw come ooooooon. Please, Sakura-chan? Pretty please?"

"Well," she began hesitantly, twiddling her thumbs in her lap. This wouldn't seem like a weighty question to a normal person. But for her, it was deeply personal. Her father worked long hours as a ninja of the Hidden Rock Village. Some of her only memories of him were of when they used to watch the night skies together.

"_Don't be so afraid to share yourself with your team, Sakura-san."_

The echo of Dr. Sato's voice from their session days ago resonated in her mind. She and her team went through so much together over the last few weeks. Surely they were entitled to a small piece of what was going on in her mind, right?

The anxious girl inhaled a bracing breath. "Well...someone once told me that stargazing is a very important thing to do every now and then. It helps you be aware of what's going on outside yourself, beyond your immediate surroundings. And if you do it right, you really become an integral part of the universe, you know? You realize your place in the world. And you grow stronger."

"Wow, Sakura-chan. And someone told you that?"

"That is such gibberish."

Laughter followed Sasuke's statement, Naruto grabbing his rumbling chest. "Hahahaha! Definitely. I can't believe someone fed you that, Sakura-chan. It sounds like such bologna!"

Sakura gave a hollow laugh. "Y-Yeah, haha. C-Complete bologna...you're, um, totally right, Naruto-san." Sakura's hand picked at the grass at her side before finally rising from the floor. "I'm gonna head to bed now. I have to be up early tomorrow to guard Tazuna-san. Good night, you guys."

Without another word, the pink-haired girl retreated from the circled, her pace quick, cheeks streaked with tears.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

* * *

**That last scene was inspired by The Lion King, my all-time favorite childhood movie. That is all :)**


	7. Battle at the Bridge

******Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**********RE-WRITE: 3/15/12**

* * *

_**Battle at the Bridge**_

_The kunoichi raced into the doctor's office, breathlessly surrendering her heavy travel gear to the floor as she took her familiar seat across the desk from Sato Daisuke._

"_I apologize for my tardiness, Sato-sensei," she huffed. "It's been a trying morning."_

"_No apology necessary," insisted the doctor, an amused grin in place. "I am the one who should feel regret for being an added chore to your busy morning, Sakura-san. You will be commencing your first C-rank mission today. Very exciting indeed. I trust you feel well-prepared for the undertaking?"_

"_Uh...um, yes. I believe so. I mean...I don't think I forgot to pack something."_

_Dr. Sato rose from his place to survey the girl's equipment. There was a rather rotund duffle bag and backpack sprawled on the floor as well as two cases strapped around the girl's waist. "Hmmm...perhaps I can offer some assistance in lightening your load. This is only a C-rank mission. You shouldn't expect to be gone long. There is no need to pack so, well, thoroughly."_

_Sakura blinked back in discomfited confusion, but said nothing._

"_You've carried your kunai, shuriken, ninja wire, exploding tags and basic bandages in your weapons' case?"_

_The kunoichi ruffled through the beige bag fastened at her side and then nodded._

"_Scrolls, a blanket, a small pillow and a day's ration of food are at the ready as well?"_

_After a quick check through her backpack, Sakura bobbed her head once again._

"_And that's all there is to it."_

"_Th-That's all?" questioned Sakura, an almost disappointed frown in place. "B-But..." The girl retreated to her duffle bag. "But what about a sleeping bag, towels for showering, extra clothes, antidotes for poisoning, extra food in case we get delayed, reading material in case I get bored, maps in case we get lost-"_

"_Sakura-san, Sakura-san," implored Dr. Sato, "I'm impressed at your level of preparedness for mishaps. But I assure, only those items I pointed out will be required for your mission. Priority on necessity is important for a ninja, as they must travel light for speed of travel and battle."_

_The kunoichi screwed her lips together chewing over his words. "So," she added innocently, "...no monster duffle bag?"_

"_No monster duffle bag." The kunoichi sighed heavily while Dr. Sato continued smiling at her. "That extra weapons' case secured on you might also be discarded, yes?"_

"Um_...no," answered Sakura hesitantly, shifting in her seat uncomfortably. "I mean...it isn't a case for weapons."_

"_Oh?"_

_She nodded, her hand curling over the maroon pouch. "It's just a small bag...with some important things I have to carry with me."_

"_Important things?" repeated the doctor curiously. "Items like mementos you mean?" Sakura nodded affirmatively, eyes averted. "Mementos from your past." Another rise and fall of her head accompanied that statement._

"_Sato-sensei...do I...do I have to leave them behind? I promise they're not that heavy. Please?"_

_The doctor's gaze rested on the girl's meek frame. Was it fear he was detecting? The anxiety of parting with whatever items she had locked away in that small maroon pouch slung behind her? Treasures from her past...memories in physical form. _

_**Perhaps she is not as devoid of emotional attachments as I had thought.**_

"_Of course you can take them," answered Dr. Sato gently. "I wouldn't have it any other way."_

_Sakura's tensed shoulders deflated in a visible wave of relief._

_The man continued to eye her, his lingering smile having a melancholy edge to it. "I should hope they don't weigh down on you too heavily though..."_

_Sakura's eyes, which had since been transfixed on her lap, surfaced – puzzlement etched into her creased brow. "Sato-sensei?"_

_Realizing by then that the double-entendre of his statement had escaped the girl, the psychologist waved it off, smiling. "Don't think on it. In any case, our time is short, so I'll get right down to the main reason I wanted to see you today."_

_The girl bit her bottom lip but nodded firmly._

_Dr. Sato leaned over his desk, sizing up the young ninja before him. "Are you ready for this? And I don't mean packing-wise. I mean if you are really ready – on the level of skill, of emotion. Do you trust yourself and your team enough to go through with these more dangerous missions? Missions outside the sanctity of the village lands?"_

_The doctor's hazel eyes relentlessly pierced Sakura's emerald, despite the discomfort and insecurity she felt under his gaze. This was important. He needed an honest and serious answer. He could not afford missing even the slightest detail of body language in her response._

_Sakura tried to ignore the pressurized situation, lining her vision with the desk rather than the man. "I'm a bit nervous, t-to be honest. But...well I'm also really excited about it. Because I know this is what I have to do to get stronger. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get there."_

"_Yes I imagine you would," sighed Dr. Sato, anticipating this type of response from the goal-driven genin he had come to know. "But what I'm more interested in is whether you feel prepared to take this step with your __**team**__. You won't just be undertaking this on your own. Are you ready to put your trust in them, on a much deeper level than what you're used to? There is no rush, and we can postpone this if not. I have the authority to do so."_

_She clutched at the fabric of her black nin-shorts. Her breathing grew deeper, but she strained to keep her face as expressionless as possible. She could not afford to give anything away. "I'm ready for this mission, Sato-sensei."_

_The doctor remained fixed on her another moment, testing her mettle. She did not break, but then he predicted she wouldn't. __**She most certainly is not comfortable with her team. Neither is she emotionally ready for such an undertaking. Even so, she's unquestionably focused on her goal. She won't let me get in her way.**_

_A deep sigh escaped Dr. Sato's lips as he ruffled the dark brown hair projecting about his head. "Very well. But before you leave, Sakura-san, I have a tidbit of wisdom I wish to impart."_

"_Y-Yes?"_

_The doctor's features smoothed as he smiled tenderly. "All healthy relationships, including those between teammates, can only be fostered through a give and take. It's an exchange, Sakura-san. I promise the returns will be in your best interests. It will make you stronger; make you a more effective ninja."_

"_An exchange..." she echoed, her eyebrows furrowed._

_Dr. Sato nodded. "Don't be so afraid to share yourself with your team, Sakura-san."_

* * *

Tired emerald eyes fluttered open to meet the brazen beat of the sun's rays. Her ears had become neutral to the constant hammering of the construction site she was now sitting in, but the sun was striking the bridge too intensely to be ignored with a nap. She rubbed her eyes groggily.

"You always this sleepy? It's only three in the afternoon."

"It's not that," she sighed, turning to Tazuna passing before her. "My body's just tired from all the training. I don't have the same kind of endurance as Naruto and Sasuke."

"Those boys do seem pretty determined, especially the runt." The man rested the wooden beam he had been freighting on the floor, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow before continuing with his work.

_Naruto-san and Sasuke-san..._

There was a reason she had been daydreaming about her last appointment with Dr. Sato. Sakura hadn't forgotten her unfortunate incident last night with her teammates. She had shared something her father had passed on to her, something precious to her, something meaningful. And they openly laughed at it.

She tried to follow Dr. Sato's advice, tried to partake in the give and take that he had suggested. And he had promised that in return, she would become a better ninja. But how was this better? She was now hurt and currently upset with the two boys. How was this supposed to improve their teamwork? Now all she wanted was to just get this mission over with and head home, where she could more effectively avoid them.

_Why are you letting yourself get this worked up? _she scolded herself. _They don't matter to you. They're just two people you work with. That's all._

It was another hour before the girl was approached by Tazuna again. His expression was gruffer than usual, a deeply set frown in place. "Workday's over. I'm headed to the market to get food for dinner tonight."

The kunoichi nodded, getting to her feet. She followed him silently off the construction site before they spoke again.

"Hey, kid," began the bridge builder as they walked toward town, "I wanna ask you something."

"Yes, Tazuna-san?"

"Tell me, why are you so willing to put your life on the line to be a ninja and take this mission? What is it that drives you to do this?"

She allowed a pensive pause as she thought things over. A part of her felt somewhat annoyed by the invasive question; she had shared enough personal information these passed two days to last a lifetime, in her opinion. She chose to answer his question nonetheless. She did not want to be disrespectful to their client, however mistrusting she was of him based on his track record. "I want to be a powerful ninja, that's all. I want it more than anything. Taking dangerous missions is an inevitable part of that."

"It's your dream huh?" he interpreted. "But why do you want it so bad? Is it really worth the risk?"

The kunoichi screwed her lips together, the line of questioning now becoming even more than just slightly trying. She didn't really stop to think of _why_ she wanted to be strong. She just knew that she did. She had wanted this since she was a child. She wanted to be like her father. Wasn't that enough of a reason?

"Forgive me," spoke Tazuna shortly after. "I realize it's none of my business. Yours is a most noble dream."

Sakura nodded, though she inwardly wanted to break the tension with a new conversation topic. "It looks like you're almost finished," she said. "Um, with the bridge I mean."

The older man gritted his teeth. "I estimate another week, though I'd be able to get through a lot quicker if my workforce wouldn't shrink every other day. Some people have no vision."

Judging by the timbre of disdain in his voice, Sakura had a good guess as to what had been bothering the bridge builder this afternoon. It was no shock that the people of the Wave country feared Gato. It made sense that some of the bridge workers opted to discontinue before they risked their lives and their families further.

"Do they have no sense of decency?" continued Tazuna on the same tangent as they entered the commercial center of town. "Can't they see what's happening to this place? What Gato has done to it?"

The kunoichi surveyed her surroundings. The townspeople moved with a crawl along the streets, no spring in their steps, no moderate grins in place. They avoided eye contact with everyone as they treaded the sidewalks. It was easy now to see where Inari had learnt his sour expressions from. There was no life in these people. Every now and then she would spot a homeless person dejectedly slumped on the side of the road.

**Will do any kind of work**

She had noticed these signs more than once during her brief visit to the town center. Sakura couldn't truly appreciate the sorrow and poverty that gripped this nation until now. And there she was, mere moments ago, getting upset over some silly comments her teammates had made to her. The town's suffering made all of her own personal feelings and grudges irrelevant.

"This is how it's been since Gato came here. The children suffer, and the adults are too scared to do anything about it." The man faced the young girl, his dark eyes piercing hers through his oval spectacles. "They've lost all hope. That's why finishing the bridge is so important. It'll bring commerce and trade, but even more so that bridge is a symbol of courage." Tazuna's tanned fist visibly tightened at his side. "We must restore the spirit of our people. When the bridge is finished, people will start to believe again. They'll believe they can live with dignity. I will not let Gato stop us."

The bridge builder's eyes were lit with a passionate fire she had never seen. It was the fervor fueled by a drive deep within the depths of one's soul. She could almost feel the determination rolling of his body like some physical entity. Sakura had never known that kind of passion, but she was quick to recognize it. And even quicker to respect it. Who would have thought the old drunk she had met more than four days ago was actually this courageous, honorable person?

More than any other time she guarded Tazuna, she had never felt a greater desire to protect him than in that moment. She would work with Naruto and Sasuke, she would rely on them, she would do whatever it took if only to help this man fulfill _his_ noble dream. They would free this country, no matter what it took.

* * *

"So the shrimp won't be joinin' us today, 'ay?"

"That would be very unlikely," responded Kakashi, following after the bridge builder.

Sasuke, Sakura, their sensei and Tazuna had departed to the bridge the next morning. Kakashi had fully recovered. And with Sasuke and Naruto having successfully completed their training as of last night, Team 7 would be protecting their charge together now onward. That morning, however, one team member was absent.

"He stayed out for two nights to finish," continued Kakashi. "It was best to leave him in bed today to recuperate. I highly doubt he'll even be able to move at all."

After having been at the unfinished bridge the day before, Sakura knew they were approaching the noisy construction site. But something was off. "I don't hear any of the workers," she said, speaking her thoughts aloud.

"Ah don't worry about it," replied Tazuna. "Some of my guys are a bit lazy. They don't always start up work until I actually get to the-…hold on, what heck is this?" The old man stood stock-still before the scene, his eyes frozen open.

The concrete floor was littered with unconscious men, the occasional groan being the only indication that they were still breathing. There was no sign that they would awaken any time soon though. "Someone was here. Someone got to them!"

Team 7 immediately assumed a manji formation, the ninja creating a circle with Tazuna in the center. A thick mist stretched onto the area, consuming the unfinished bridge. _The Hidden Mist jutsu_, thought Sakura.

"I knew he was still alive. He just couldn't wait for round two."

The genin instantly knew to whom their teacher was referring. The moment they thought his name, they found themselves surrounded by images of the Demon of the Hidden Mist.

"Water clones," stated Sakura, a kunai at the ready. She felt Sasuke shift beside her and she knew what his next move was, flitting from her position herself to back him up.

Within seconds, the six replicas of Zabuza disintegrated into an explosion of water. The two genin landed in their original spots, unharmed.

"Oh," came a growl from the mists directly before the jounin, "looks like your brats have improved, Kakashi. But do you really think it'll be enough to defeat us?"

The form of the missing-nin finally appeared out of the shadows, his sides flanked by the two masked ninja they had once assumed were trackers.

"It looks like I had it right," spoke Kakashi. "It was all an act. You two should be ashamed of yourselves – posing as loyal ninja of your village when you're working for a man seeing to its ruin."

"I've had it up to here with them," announced Sasuke, his gaze transfixed on their foes. "Hiding behind those masks like a couple of clowns. I'm just about ready to rip them right off their faces. What do you think, Sakura?"

The girl's eyes narrowed at the two. "I don't appreciate being lied to."

A dark chuckle rumbled through Zabuza. "You hear that? Haku, Towa, it looks like these little genin are trying to pick a fight with you."

"Just let'em." The man who spoke was taller than the other. A mess of short brown hair splayed about his head, framing his hawk-like mask like a mane. His black, fitted outfit matched Zabuza's, his sleeveless shirt revealing tattooed, muscular arms. "These little brats won't satisfy much of my bloodlust, but killing them might be amusing at least."

"They successfully destroyed the water clones," said the other. His black hair was tied into a bun with his long locks resting freely only in the front. Unlike his masked partner, this boy remained in the same traditional blue-green kimono they had first seen him in. "They exhibit enough of a threat to be dealt with. Although, I prefer we not kill them unless we have to, Towa."

"Same old merciful, Haku," chided the other ninja. "You need to get with the program."

"Sakura, Sasuke, listen up," said Kakashi on the other side of the battle zone. "You both have to work together to occupy the two masked ninja. Do not let them get passed you. I'll handle Zabuza, and then get to you as soon as I can. Tazuna-san, I'm afraid we're going to have to leave you unprotected, for now."

"Do what you gotta do," answered the bridge builder. "Beat those scum down, just be careful while you do it."

"Sakura, you ready?"

The girl shifted her gaze to her teammate and their eyes met briefly, communicating so much in so little time. They were both anxious for the ensuing fight, Sasuke out of excitement, while for Sakura it was more for worry. She knew what was at stake here, the consequences should they fail. They would lose their lives, yes, but there was something even greater than that going on. A nation's freedom was hanging in the balance; that, and one gracious man's dream of making it happen.

Her heart rate accelerated but held steady, adrenaline washing her system as she braced herself for attack. She would remember her training. She would relax her senses; trust her body to know how to do what she needed it to do. And in that same breath, she would trust the boy tensing beside her as well. As confusing as he was, she was glad she had Sasuke alongside her. She knew that together, they would win this fight.

Haku and Towa barely disturbed the ground they treaded on as they dashed toward the genin. Sasuke caught Haku's hand with his kunai as he attempted to impale him with a senbon needle. Meanwhile Sakura matched Towa's fist with her own ninja knife. The blade stood fast against the ninja's knuckles, but drew no blood.

_What is this? It's like his skin is made from steel or something._

The kunoichi registered a flash of movement at her side and knew it had been her sensei, wasting no time to attack Zabuza.

"Tazuna-san," called Sakura through gritted teeth, struggling against the force of her foe's fist. "Please retreat to the sidelines. We need some space to freely attack them." The sound of shuffling feet behind her indicated that the man had followed her instructions.

"A scrappy little girl, aren't'cha?"

The pinkette's gaze steeled on the white hawk-like face in front of her. "Why don't you remove your mask so we can look into each other's eyes as we fight? Like honorable shinobi."

"I'll pass. Beating you dead sounds like a much better use of my time."

The masked ninja opened his fist and swept the kunai to the side in one spin, swinging his leg to collide into the girl's midriff in the same movement. The kunoichi reacted, using the momentum Towa had given her to swivel her body into the air. She successfully spun over the man's kick, landing on all fours on the floor before performing a back handspring to distance herself from the ninja.

Towa did not relent, rushing toward his enemy with a speed Sakura had never known was humanly possible. She used two held kunai to block each move as best she could, barely matching his blows with her own before they connected. She could land no hit in retaliation, only managing to defend. But even then, she knew he had the advantage.

The two ninja were physically matched in speed, but Towa had her beat in experience. It was harder for her eyes to keep up with his movements. There was no way she would be able to find an opening to attack. He also had the advantage in strength. He was a grown man, and she was a thirteen-year-old girl with limited ninjutsu. He also had those strange fists of steel. Could his skin be cut even if she tried to?

Still, a true ninja can make do with the skills available. She had her agility. From Towa's attack pattern, it was apparent that he lacked flexibility. He used his legs mainly for charges of speed, while his fists pummeled into his foe, fighting for an opening until they would eventually find one. One hit and it would all be over. It was a fairly predictable pattern. Sakura could twist her body and maneuver every part of her to evade his blows.

She also had her chakra control. They had not been refining this skill all week only to discard it in battle. If she could match Towa's velocity by relying only on her physical speed, imagine how the tables would turn with an enhancement of chakra.

But first things first: she had to determine how far this ninja's iron skin extended.

Sakura retreated backwards from her enemy once again, this time scattering makibishi as she withdrew.

The masked ninja gave a hollow snigger. "That's your brilliant idea huh? You think these spikes can slow me down? I'm insulted."

The man advanced forward slowly, stepping onto the small blades shooting off the concrete almost on purpose. He did not wince once.

_So his legs have the same kind of metallic endurance_, thought Sakura as Towa took his last step across the mat of makibishi. _Now to see if that applies to his whole body._

The kunoichi made her hand signs, and within seconds five Sakura clones materialized.

"A clone jutsu? You think a basic jutsu like that can beat me? I'm even more insulted. You need to try harder."

Her hands remained pressed together as she forced chakra along the entire length of her leg. Her feet pulsated with the familiar warmth of her chakra. _If I can stream enough energy to the muscles in my feet as I run, it should give me... _The girl flickered across the space between her and Towa. ..._the burst of speed I need._

Her clones matched her inhuman pace, disappearing in a puff of smoke just before collision to create a bewildering smokescreen. Before her foe could react to what was taking place, Sakura lunged at him, both feet hammering into Towa's chest as she used the full force of her body's velocity.

The masked ninja was torpedoed off his feet, his body whirling toward the sea of makibishi behind him. The rogue ricocheted across the ground, tumbling over the spikes before frictional forces finally halted him.

Sakura was crouched on the floor, breathing deeply, her eyes unmoving from her adversary. The area of his chest she had slammed into felt harder than muscle. She could feel the sting of acid pooling in her stomach. This was what she had feared. Did this man have armored skin covering _every_ area of his body?

She waited with bated breath for the ninja to rise.

The man staggered to his feet, chuckling. His clothes were torn in several places, but Sakura did not detect any traces of blood. The spikes hadn't broken skin. "Pretty fancy footwork. My turn for some payback."

The ninja grabbed his right arm with the other. Sakura sensed a surge of chakra, the masked man's extended hand glowing a deep red. The stream of energy seemed to be concentrated at his fingertips. What on earth was this technique?

The rogue charged at the kunoichi, his legs carrying him with the same swiftness he had been using throughout their battle. Sakura's hold on her kunai tightened while she loosened every other joint in her arched body. Evasion was her only chance of surviving this mysterious technique.

Towa swiped at the girl but she darted backward. He kept attacking ahead and she matched every blow by flitting to one side or the other, using her kunai to deflect as many strikes as she could. His hits carried more force this time; it took all her strength just to keep her weapon in her hands as she repelled him. She knew she could not keep this up for much longer.

A muddled glimmer of light caught the corner of her eye through the mist. In the next instant, a small fireball appeared, Towa directly in its trajectory. The rogue arrested his assault on Sakura and leapt backward, the flame colliding into the ground where he had stood. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief for the assist, but there was something even more interesting that this little ball of flames had managed.

There had been a brief moment of clarity, one second before Towa had retreated when his entire body was consumed by the light of the fireball. It was in that instant that Sakura saw it. There was a glimmer of moisture on the ninja's neck, a splash of red. Hope swelled within her.

_The makibishi were able to penetrate the skin in his neck._

She knew where she needed to aim her attacks now. A neck-wound was the only thing that could bring down this masked ninja. It also meant that merely incapacitating him was not an option. The only way they could stop him was to deliver a blow to his vulnerable cervical region, which would surely mean death. Was she really going to take her first life today?

_It doesn't matter. You __**have**__ to do this. Ninja kill other ninja. That's part of the job..._

Sasuke skidded toward his female teammate, breathless but otherwise unharmed. "Thank you for that, Sasuke-san. I don't know how you managed to aim so well in this fog, but that fireball of yours helped more than you can imagine. Did you finish off the other ninja already?"

Towa and Haku appeared before the genin sooner than Sasuke could respond. "He's tough, though I take it your guy isn't a walk in the park either. I figure we have a better chance of beating them if we team up."

Sakura nodded. "A surprising suggestion coming from you, but I'm with you, Sasuke-san."

"You two really think you can win. Pathetic." Sakura recognized that voice to be Towa's.

"Allow me to deal with them," asserted the other ninja, Haku. "I shall use the special technique of my kekkai genkai."

Towa grunted. "You won't hear any complaints from me. That's the first step to using our combined technique."

"No," commanded Haku, his hands making the appropriate seals. "Attack the bridge builder while I occupy these two."

Sakura barely registered a faint "too soft" before she was hit by a blast of cold wind. Her hair whipped around her face and the air grew frigid and numbing. Her eyes scanned their surroundings in time to find the puddles of water that had once been Zabuza's water clones rising into small pillars of moisture. The water suddenly flattened into solid, rectangular sheets of crystal – mirrors of ice. Before Sakura and Sasuke realized what Haku was doing, they found themselves trapped, encased in a doom of closely scattered ice mirrors.

What they witnessed next was even more surprising. Haku stepped toward and _into_ one of the mirrors, his body becoming a two-dimensional component of these crystals. Sakura had never seen anything so bizarre. She wondered with dread what added powers these sheets of ice had given their foe.

The image of Haku seemed to suddenly occupy all the mirrors at once, and in the next instant a shower of senbon needles rained on the two defenseless genin. She could feel her skin slashed from every angle, her hands relinquishing her kunai as she instinctively grasped her head to protect it. She clenched her jaw, suppressing her desire to scream as this ninja tore at her body.

"The bridge builder," she heard Sasuke groan with effort, his body at the mercy of Haku just as hers was.

The kunoichi forced her shut eyes open, peering as best she could between the gaps of the ice mirrors. Towa had not moved from his position to attack Tazuna as they had feared. He was just watching them. Did he enjoy this? Was their suffering a form of amusement for him?

"What are you waiting for?"

The downpour of needles ceased, Haku sparing one moment to converse with his partner.

"It's not every day I get to see your Crystal Ice Mirror jutsu in action, Haku. The old man isn't going anywhere. Loosen up and let me enjoy the show, will you?"

"I know it is your hope to do more than just watch, Towa. As I told you, we are not using that technique."

Sakura exhaled her held breath, grateful for the temporary break and surprised she was actually still alive. Her eyes fell on Sasuke. He too appeared hurt but not seriously injured. She could see the same shock mirrored in his own onyx eyes as he looked at her.

_Too soft...Towa had told him that more than once. Is this ninja letting us live on purpose? But why?_

"We have to figure a way out of here."

Sasuke's voice drew her out of her thoughts. There were more pressing concerns at the moment.

The Uchiha began making his hand signs, the last being the sign of the tiger. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu." An all-too-familiar orb of fire erupted from the genin's mouth, the flames concentrating on one mirror before them. The ice sustained a direct hit, but when the flames subsided the crystal sheet was still intact.

The ice was so strong that not even Sasuke's fireball technique could melt it? And now, the genin had only succeeded in drawing attention to themselves.

"I haven't forgotten about you two."

The image of Haku faced them, replicating in all of the mirrors once again. Sakura braced herself for what was to come next. They were bombarded by a barrage of senbon needles, the weapons tearing more of their skin as they passed.

When the torrent ended, the two genin fell to their knees. _We can't take much more of this,_ thought Sakura, her breathing panicked and erratic. _We have to figure out how these mirrors work._ Her gaze shifted to Sasuke. Despite the attacks, his eyes did not leave the mirrors. She knew he was trying to decipher the mystery of these crystals as well.

_Whatever this Haku is doing, he relies on speed to do it. And if it's a contest of speed, maybe, just maybe, the same tactic can work twice._ The kunoichi gathered chakra to her feet, forming hand signs at the same time. Six clones appeared, and the seven Sakura's separated, each darting toward a different mirror. Sakura had hoped that her augmented speed coupled with the confusion of her clones would be enough to allow her to reach a mirror and slam into it with her kunai.

The girl rushed forward. Midway through her dash, before she could even bare her kunai, she was stopped in her tracks by a harsh blow to her abdomen. A pained gasped escaped her lips, and in the next instant, she received another strike to her face and was sent colliding back to the center of the dome.

"Sakura!"

She felt someone's hands on her, helping her onto her feet. "Sasuke-san," she breathed, sweeping a bead of blood from her mouth. That Haku had a nasty right hook.

"What were you thinking, charging at those mirrors like that?" he reprimanded. "I thought you'd be smarter than that."

"It's the only way...the only way we can figure out his jutsu. I just need to use more chakra."

Sasuke's eyes widened in astonishment as he watched his teammate straighten on her feet. "You're not seriously going to-"

"Clone jutsu!" Sakura recreated the clones Haku had destroyed, focusing even more chakra to her feet before torpedoing forward.

Not even this higher acceleration could contest Haku's, and she was thrown onto the cold concrete once again. The girl was getting breathless. Her body had never been pushed to this extent. She was using too much chakra. _I managed to get closer to the mirror this time. But I'm exhausted...I don't know how many more tries I can handle._

"Can you do it again?"

Sakura shifted her attention to the person who was once again helping her off the ground. His tone sounded hopeful, almost excited. She silently wondered why.

"Most definitely." She had hoped her confident response could mask her fatigue. She hadn't noticed the way Sasuke's keen eyes lingered on her weakening features.

"Don't push yourself," he added finally.

The kunoichi nodded, forcing her hands together. "Clone jutsu!"

She made her third attempt at the dome, only this time Sasuke was making a few hand seals of his own as she ran. Sakura was focusing too intently on her objective to monitor what was happening, and in the next instant she found herself tumbling onto the pavement. Sasuke had fallen right beside her.

The two struggled onto their feet. "That was good, Sakura. One more time?"

The pinkette turned to her teammate. He had a small smile in place. Just what on earth was going on inside his head? What was he seeing that she had missed? Sakura didn't like the idea of blindly doing anything, but she trusted Sasuke. He was a genius in his own rite. And he was also her teammate.

"Will more clones help you?" An affirmative nod from him was all she needed. "Clone jutsu!"

Eight clones materialized this time, each one diving at the mirrors with as much enhanced speed as Sakura was travelling with. This time she caught a few shimmers of light from the corner of her eye as she attacked, and for once she found herself within arm's reach of a mirror.

_A little more...just a little more..._

Within a split second, she was hammered in her side, with the second blow landing her beside Sasuke on the floor. Her breathing was ragged. She had gotten so close this time she actually saw her reflection in the mirror.

"One more," gasped Sasuke, forcing himself upright. "We need one more."

The boy faced his partner, and Sakura's lips parted in awe when his face came into view. She did not find the familiar pair of onyx in Sasuke's eyes as he looked at her. No. Her teammate's pupils were almost blood red. Staring back at her was the legacy of the Uchiha clan of the Hidden Leaf Village. Sasuke's Sharingan had awoken.

"I can see it, Sakura," he said with a grin, registering her surprise. "Haku's mirror's work by allowing him to almost instantly transport himself from one mirror to the other, giving him a massive range of attack while making him nearly impossible to strike..._nearly_. I think now I can track his movements well enough to land a hit."

A glimmer of hope rose in her pounding heart, realizing what Sasuke was saying. _So those lights I was seeing...he was using his Fireball jutsu to strike Haku and prevent him from attacking me. _The boy truly was a genius.

"So, you figured it out. It appears that perhaps I really have been too lenient."

A fresh set of senbon needles flew at the pair. Sasuke did well to dodge them, using his kunai to deflect a few. Sakura was not so fortunate; four spines of metal lodged into her arms and shoulder as she hugged her body against the onslaught.

The girl whimpered in pain as she fell to her knees, her eyes becoming unfocused. Haku took this opportunity to direct more weapons at the staggering girl, but this time Sasuke was too quick. He sprinted to his teammate, sweeping her into his arms and lunging to the side. His leg was caught by one of the senbon, but the two were otherwise unscathed.

"Sakura. Sakura, you have to stay awake. I know it's hard, but you can't pass out. We need each other here."

"I know, Sasuke," she breathed, wincing as her teammate removed the shafts of metal from her body. "I know."

"I'll end this here." Haku's reflection began forming a flurry of hand signs. "Secret Art: Ice Prism!"

The mirror directly before Sasuke and Sakura exploded in luminescence, a concentrated beam of light erupting from the crystal toward the pair. Sakura shielded her eyes from the brightness, suddenly registering her body stumbling across the pavement. Sasuke had thrown her away from the blast.

The kunoichi surveyed the area and bit her lip. There was a human-sized cube of ice on the battlefield, with Sasuke trapped inside it. The boy crouched inside his small ice prison, striking at the walls as best he could within the cramped space.

"Sasuke-san!" The girl raced toward her ensnared comrade, kunai in hand as she desperately clawed at the ice.

"You cannot break through it," called Haku calmly. "As durable as my ice mirrors are, that cube is different. It is meant to be a prison. Despite its transparency, those walls are as robust as granite."

Sakura slammed her fist against the ice, her hand trembling. This was it. Without Sasuke and his Sharingan, she had no hope of escaping. Haku would kill them both, and the bridge builder next. It was over.

The defeated girl felt a knock against her fist. Her emerald eyes met Sasuke's obsidian ones, his features hard. She could just hear what he would have said if he was not encased in a soundproof box. _"Just what the heck do you think you're doing? Quit feeling sorry for yourself already and get to work!"_

In that instant, hopelessness all but evaporated from her gaze. There was only determination. A rock-solid determination sturdier than the icy penitentiary she was leaning against. She couldn't just sit back and let them win. Even if all she could do was hold him off until Kakashi could defeat Zabuza and protect the bridge builder then that's what needed to be done. The entire country had too much riding on this fight.

"You seem to have rediscovered your resolve." Sakura looked up at Haku's reflection. "Yes, I see it. Your eyes look different. But you will not win. I fight to protect someone precious to me. Your resolve cannot compare to my own."

"What difference does that make?" contested Sakura, taking any opening she could to delay him. "Fighting is fighting. What do a person's reasons have to do with it?"

"It has everything to do with it. Your heart is too closed to appreciate this. You will never become truly strong, if the only reason you raise your sword is for yourself."

The kunoichi shook her head. "What you're saying isn't rational at all. We ninja fight as tools for our villages. That's all. Those emotional reasons you're talking about just cloud your judgment. It's counterintuitive that those things will make you stronger. They only weaken your objectivity."

Haku kept his face fixed onto Sakura's, sizing her up, searching through her sea of jade. "You talk so much like him. And like him, you are so blind to yourself, Sakura." The boy retrieved another set of senbon. "Perhaps this battle will serve to clear your vision."

Sakura ran along the sides of the dome, pooling her diminishing reserve of chakra into her feet for speed. She was able to evade a few, but was stopped in her tracks when the next set struck at her body. The girl skated to the floor, her impaled muscles aching. She dislodged whatever she could quickly but did not spare time to remove them all, opting to make another run for it.

She was beginning to anticipate his attacks, finding herself deflecting more and more of his senbon. Ruling out the possibility that she too was awakening a Sharingan eye like Sasuke, the kunoichi posited that Haku was slowing. He was becoming fatigued. The downside of this was that so was she. Although she could make out his movements more easily, she had lacked the stamina to avoid every blow. And as her body began resembling a porcupine with each shower of needles, Sakura knew she would reach her limit soon.

_I can't keep going like this much longer,_ she thought. _I need some backup. For once, I wish Naruto were here..._

The area inside the dome exploded with a sudden blast of smoke, the unexpected pop causing Sakura to jump in surprise. _What now?_ She braced her huffing body for another assault, her eyes narrowing as the center of the white cloud began to clear.

"The hero of the story always arrives just in the nick of time, believe it."

Wait a second...Sakura knew this voice.

Spiky blonde hair and an orange jumpsuit emerged from the smokescreen. "Uzumaki Naruto is here to save the day!"

The rash ninja rested his knuckles proudly against his hips, his pose exuding confidence. Sakura, on the other hand, did not appear very amused. And Sasuke looked just about ready to crash through the impenetrable ice cube just so he could clobber his brainless teammate silly. Oh, if only he could at least attack the blonde idiot with his words.

"Errr, Sakura-chan?" he questioned, surprised by the absence of glee on her face. Some might even say the girl looked downright hostile. "What uhhhhhh...what's wrong?"

"Naruto-san," she all but whimpered. This was far more painful than anything she had endured that day. "Did it ever occur to you that you would have been far more effective if you had used your anonymity to launch a surprise attack on _them_? Instead of sneaking up on your own teammate?"

The boy batted his sea blue eyes, his expression blank. "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...no?"

Sakura shook her head dejectedly. "Forget it. We've got more important things to deal with here."

"Hey, Sakura-chan, something's wrong with Sasuke."

"Of course something's wrong with him," she sighed. "Can't you see he's trapped inside a-...w-what's going on?"

The girl had finally noticed what Naruto was referring to. Sasuke was on his knees inside the icy cube, holding on his neck as if he were fighting to breathe. He was suffocating.

"I was afraid this was going to happen. He's running out of air!"

Naruto spared his female teammate a worried glance before rushing toward the prison, kunai in hand. "We have to get him out!" He struck the ice with his blade, again and again.

"I've tried that already. We have to defeat Haku. That's the only way we can get him out."

The blonde's eyes rested on his gasping teammate briefly. This was his chance to pay Sasuke back and save him, to prove himself. This was a moment he had always dreamed of, but the way it was happening now seemed so much more soured than sweet.

"What do we do, Sakura-chan?" There was nothing but seriousness in his voice. "Are you even sure you can keep going yourself?"

Sakura was aware of how haggard she must have looked, the scrapes and bruises she was sporting, the smears of blood that pervaded her form, how weak her chakra signal was. But Sasuke was dying. He would soon pass out from the lack of oxygen. After that, death would not be too far away.

"I'm not stepping down. We can do this, Naruto-san. Haku's movements have already begun to slow. I believe your shadow clones may just be enough to get you out of this dome. Then you and I can attack these mirrors together, from the outside and in, and shatter this jutsu."

The blonde nodded, wasting no time to perform his trademark technique. "Shadow Clone justu!"

Ten Naruto's launched themselves at the mirrors, each making a break for a space between the walls to escape. No sooner did these copies sprint to the exits than they began to explode. Sakura knew the ice ninja was attacking her teammate, just as he had done with her. And although she could make out his movements a lot clearer than before, she knew she could not keep up with them well enough to back Naruto up, as Sasuke had done for her. She was useless.

The last clone disintegrated, leaving one more Naruto bounding toward the edge. He was so close to that gap. One more leap and he would be out of this icy hell. Then they could free Sasuke.

"Gah!"

The blonde was propelled into the center of the dome, landing to the floor with a thud. He shot to his feet immediately, looking almost insulted at having been thrown down.

"Where did that come from?" questioned Sakura, her eyes scanning their surroundings. She had been following Haku continuously, ready to at least attempt to step in if he made a move on the real Naruto. She didn't spot the masked ninja near him even once.

"You're getting sloppy, Haku."

Outside the ice dome, Towa was holding his chest, sniggering.

"I did not ask for your interference, nor do I require it. Your methods are far too crude for my liking."

The ninja with the hawk-like mask raised his hands defenselessly. "Hey, I just figured I'd help you speed this along. From the looks of things on the outside, Zabuza's having a pretty tough time with the Copy Ninja. The sooner we finish off these brats, the sooner we can protect him, wouldn't you say?"

"Towa," answered Haku after a short pause, "you really are too crude."

The other ninja chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes, now let me in already."

One of the mirrors radiated with a fierce glow of light. Towa entered the shining crystal, and in the next second his body catapulted out the mirror with a bang. His body illuminated a deep red, not unlike what Sakura had seen when she was battling him one-on-one earlier that morning. His speed was incredible, exceeding anything she had witnessed him do or could ever achieve herself. Naruto had been in the direct path of the attack, but the bang startled him enough to make his body dive to the side, Towa's swirl of scarlet grazing his arm without resistance as it passed.

The blonde latched onto his shoulder, the entire left sleeve of his jumpsuit stained crimson. Sakura ran toward him, not removing her eyes from the other end of the dome. Towa skated to a halt, flitting to the outside of the dome. The ninja then held onto his right arm to focus his chakra, and the mirror directly before him glowed white once again.

"Naruto-san!"

The kunoichi leapt toward the staggering boy, forcing both their bodies to the side before their foe emerged from the mirror for another attack. Sakura examined her teammate's injury as Towa blew passed them. It was deep, but didn't seem life-threatening.

"It's just a flesh wound," he gritted, biting back any audible indication of pain. "A scrape really. I'm fine."

Her teammate most certainly was not fine. But then, the same could be said about her. Although neither of them was in an ideal condition to fight much less win, they had to anyway. So this was what it meant to be a shinobi.

Before Sakura could spare another thought, a barrage of needles came sailing toward them. The pinkette retrieved her kunai and deflected most of the weapons, a few of them hitting their mark. Sakura winced from the impalement, but before she could even survey the damage she felt hands on her, throwing her off her feet.

A deep red flashed through the place the genin had just been standing, and she knew that thanks to Naruto they had just barely missed a lethal strike from Towa. _So that's their ploy._

"I think I figured this out. What a cruel game you two play." The kunoichi removed three senbon from her arms, standing to address the two masked ninja. "Haku's attacks have a higher probability of striking an opponent, but a lower likelihood of death. Towa's, on the other hand, is easier to dodge once you pay enough attention to the mirrors, but is more fatal. So you team up, with the needles distracting and slowing down your opponents enough until the crimson spear hits its mark. Am I right?"

A roll of laughter rumbled from the outskirts of the dome. Towa was clearly the type who reveled in his prey knowing just how hopeless their situation was. "Very good, little girl. You got a sharp mind on yuh. This is mine and Haku's most lethal combination attack. You should feel honored to be killed by it. My partner refrains from using it unless he feels it's absolutely necessary."

Sakura felt Naruto trembling beside her. Was he as terrified as she was at this realization? The girl spied movement in her periphery and turned her eyes to Sasuke, catching his last moments of consciousness before the Uchiha finally collapsed to the ground. She estimated he would be dead in minutes, though it seemed perhaps she and Naruto would fall before he did. Naruto was right to quiver. Death was just at their doorstep.

"I don't care." The blonde rose to his feet, his sapphire eyes blazing with intensity and fury. "I don't care how great your combination is. So what? It's no big deal. I'm not giving up. I'm not backing down, and I'm _not_ going to die here. That's because I have a dream and nobody is going to take it away from me. Someday, my village is going to respect me, believe it. That's my dream. To be the greatest Hokage there ever was!"

His balled fist shook at his side as he spoke. Sakura had recognized this determination, this ferocity, this passion. Tazuna had the same look in his eyes, when he spoke of liberating his people with the bridge. And just like she did yesterday, the kunoichi marveled at the intensity behind it.

"Dreams," echoed Haku. "Yes, I too have a dream, Naruto. Please do not blame me for my cruelty. It was not my choice to be a shinobi; to live a life in which my purpose was to snuff out those of others. But I fight for someone precious to me. I live for him, and I face death for him so that his dream can become a reality. That is my dream, and I must fight for it, as you do yours. This will be the battlefield where our dreams collide."

Sakura's body tensed, preparing for their battle to resume. Despite all the speeches, the wheels in her mind didn't stop turning as she sought a strategy that would get them out of this mess. Naruto's passion had rekindled her resolution, but her energy was low. They could not afford any more tactics that would only waste what little chakra they had left. There was also the matter of freeing Sasuke before his entire oxygen supply had depleted.

Towa would have to go. Haku was shielded within his mirrors, but his partner was not. The sequence of events for success was clear: incapacitate Towa, break the mirrors, defeat Haku. She would focus on step one first.

She knew from her previous skirmish with the bloodthirsty ninja that his body was impenetrable, save for his neck. His face might have also shared this vulnerability, but she could not test that theory because of his mask. They had to wedge a kunai into Towa's neck. It was the only way. Now to figure out an opening...

Needles rained down on the genin, most locking themselves into the Leaf ninja. Naruto and Sakura fought their agony and dove before Towa could strike them.

_It's going to be impossible to get at him_, thought Sakura, observing every phase of Towa's attack now. Whenever he was standing still, he was beyond the dome and outside their reach. And whenever he was within their reach, he was moving far too fast to attack him at all, much less precisely aim something that would hit his neck. _We have to get his body to stop while out here. He has to hit something while he attacks. That would be the only chance we'd have to strike. The question is: what do we have out here for him to hit into other than our own bodies?_

Of course, she didn't have to search their barren area long to find the answer to her question. Sasuke's prison, yes, it was perfect. How could she have not seen this before? They had to trick Towa into aligning his attacks with the ice prism. Since all of his strikes moved in a straight line, it wouldn't be too difficult. The ninja would lodge himself into the ice, allowing them to assail him. In the best case scenario, Towa's strange chakra blade might even be enough to break the unconscious Sasuke free as well. The strategy wasn't foolproof, but Sakura was confident it could work.

"Naruto, I know what to-"

A blow to her side caught her off guard, forcing her and her teammate apart. They weren't severely injured by it; Sakura was just annoyed. _It's Haku. He's stopped using needles and is resorting to flying between his mirrors and hitting us? Why?_

There was a flash of light. Towa was preparing for an attack. Sakura arched in preparation for a jump as did Naruto, only the boy was suddenly knocked to the floor. He rolled to his feet without hesitation, but another blow forced him to the ground once again. _It's Haku. He's forcing him down so he can't escape._

Instead of getting up, the blonde created a shadow clone. Just as the familiar bang of Towa's attack sounded, the clone grabbed onto its creator and whirled him across the floor. Scarlet swirls raced passed the genin and rolled onto the outside of the dome.

_Did he do it? Did Naruto make it out okay?_

The spiky-haired genin's stance wavered, the ground below him being dabbed with droplets of crimson. Sakura could tell where the point of impact was, her eyes fixed on the pool of red on his side. The boy held it tightly, his teeth gritted as he struggled to maintain his poise. He let a hollow chuckle escape his lips. "Is that it? You're gonna have to be a lot better than that to do me in."

Sakura knew what was coming next; she did not need to see the telltale flash of a mirror to confirm it. Towa was going to try it again. He would strike Naruto down until he was dead. There was no way her injured teammate could act quickly enough to dodge this time, not immediately after he had been wounded so badly. And even before her mind consciously acknowledged the information, she dashed forward.

Her legs carried her with chakra-enhanced pace to her teammate. She had to reach him in time. She just had to get him out of the line of attack. She would move faster than Towa if she had to; faster than Haku could interfere with his needles. She had to get him out of the way, or else stop Towa before he could make it. She was not quite certain when she had formulated exactly what she was going to do when she reached her teammate. There was only one instinct she had in that moment, an instinct that screeched into every thought and feeling.

_**Naruto cannot die here today**_

There was a bang.

And then the subtle tear of human flesh.

The pitter-patter of liquid followed soon after.

A sigh of relief...and of pain.

Naruto's eyes were frozen open, his finger rising to the splash of blood smeared against his cheek. The world was deaf to him in that instant.

Sakura was standing before her teammate, her back being the only part of her visible. He didn't need to see the rest of her to know what was happening. The blood pooling directly under her told him all he needed to know.

Towa's hand was wedged into the right side of the girl's chest cavity, invading where her lungs must have been. The kunoichi held one hand fast against his bloody arm, her kunai bared with the other. She raised the weapon to her foe's throat swiftly, and she was suddenly grateful for his mask. She did not want to register what she was about to do in this man's eyes.

The blade sliced cleanly through the ninja's neck, blood gushing through the kunai's trail. The man's arm slipped out of the kunoichi's chest, his lifeless body falling limply to the ground. Sakura's followed just after, but her back was caught in something warm.

"Sakura-chan," he choked. His horror-stricken eyes were wide, glistening with unshed tears as his arms cradled his injured teammate. He pressed his hand hard against her chest, making his best attempts to obstruct the bleeding. She exhaled in a sudden throw of pain but said nothing. "You're gonna make it. You're gonna make it, all right? You'll be okay. Just-just stay with me. You'll be all right, just stay with me. Just stay-"

"You're rambling," she rasped, the edge of her lip curling slightly. "And it's okay, Naruto-san. It's...it's all right."

"Sakura-chan...Sakura-chan, why? Why would you do this? I didn't...I didn't want you to."

"You said...being Hokage was your dream, right? You want it so badly. And well...you can't become Hokage if you're dead...idiot. So, my body just moved. I just wanted to-" A deep cough interrupted her as she tried to force out the blood coalescing in her lungs. A track of red lined the side of her mouth.

"Sakura-chan..."

"Did you know I had a friend once? She was my very best friend...and you remind me so much of her. How she looked. How she acted...you're both really clumsy too." Her bloody lips stretched into a sad grin. "Come closer...can you come closer, Naruto-san?"

The boy lowered his face nearer to hers, confusion etched into his brow though he didn't vocalize it. Sakura searched deeply into Naruto's eyes, her emerald transfixed in his sapphire. Then she did something which puzzled the blonde further. She was smiling. She looked more content than he had ever seen her. It made his heart throb inside his chest.

Her gaze remained steady until they began to lose focus, her lids lacking the strength to keep her glassy eyes open. Any tension she held in her muscles trickled out of her, her body going totally limp. Only her lips remained curled in a small smile. And her tired eyes finally shut.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -


	8. Training Mission

******Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**********RE-WRITE: 3/15/12**

* * *

_**Training Mission**_

"I guess I missed a lot, didn't I?"

A pair of eyes roamed over three gravestones, turning finally to the other Leaf shinobi.

"You're not the only one who did. I was knocked out for the rest of the battle too, remember?"

"I think I speak for all of us when I say we're glad you two will live to fight another fight. I for one am grateful for that."

"Yeah, Sakura-chan, Sasuke-teme, we were afraid you guys were goners, believe it."

The four members of Team 7 were now standing atop a grassy hill overlooking Tazuna's village. It was startling to appreciate how well things were now, as compared to the state of affairs only four days prior.

After Sakura had collapsed from what she had thought was a fatal blow to the chest, one can imagine her surprise when she found herself blearily awakening in the bridge builder's home two days later. Her bewilderment did not last very long, however. Her entire team was there to greet her, as well as fill in the blanks on what she had missed.

After the threat of Towa had been eradicated, Naruto was able to break out of the dome in a fit of fury and defeat Haku. Both she and Sasuke found this somewhat surprising. Even though he had been weakened, the ice ninja was still quite formidable. How had Naruto managed to beat him?

"Hey, I'm a strong ninja," he would assert, dismayed by his comrades' lack of faith in him. "Plus I was real mad. I thought both my teammates were dead. All I saw was red!"

Kakashi would typically eye Naruto strangely whenever this conversation topic would arise, but he usually dismissed Sakura and Sasuke's speculations with a casual, "Haku was not a ruthless ninja. He went easy on you guys. Future enemies will not be so kind."

In the end, though, Haku had died at the hands of Kakashi. The boy, out of the purest devotion for Zabuza, had shielded his master from a lethal attack. This only mildly hindered the inevitable, as the Demon of the Hidden Mist still tasted defeat at the hands of the Copy Ninja.

After that, in a shocking twist of events, Gato himself had appeared on the bridge, a mob of thugs behind him. His objective was clear: kill the bridge builder and the Leaf ninja, along with Zabuza for his pricey service fees as an assassin. The rogue ninja was not one to appreciate betrayal, and the gangster's subsequent disrespect of Haku only worsened matters. Zabuza had used his dying breaths to kill Gato, tossing his lifeless body over the bridge and into the depths of the ocean where it belonged.

As for the hoard of bandits, the villagers were able to take care of things. Inari, inspired by Naruto's courage, had assembled a mob of his own, and the townspeople were able to chase off their intruders.

When all was said and done, Sasuke had finally awakened from his unconscious state, able to get some oxygen in him after Haku was killed and the ice prison had disintegrated. Kakashi had rushed to Sakura's bloody form and found that she too was alive, but only just. He was able to use Tazuna's home medical kit to tend to her injuries, and in two days she regained consciousness.

"I'm just happy to be alive" she sighed, her reflection on the past events allowing her to truly appreciate how dire things could have ended.

"It's actually quite lucky that you are, Sakura." The girl eyed her sensei curiously. "I'm not a medical ninja. If that strike had pierced your lungs, you would have surely suffocated. Thankfully, your injury was only a flesh wound."

"I think I have you and your training to thank for that, sensei. While I blocked him, I focused all the chakra I had into my chest to repel him as much as possible. I didn't want to chance the enemy slicing right through me and continuing his attack. So I guess in trying to save a teammate, I ended up saving myself too, huh?"

"Hmmm. I suppose those advanced chakra-control lessons did pay off after all." The jounin continued to stare forward, though his mind was somewhere else. He knew this wasn't the full story. Based on the angle of the strike and its depth, Sakura's lungs _did_get damaged. But somehow, they regenerated before she would have eventually bled out or asphyxiated. Why was that, he wondered silently.

Sakura turned back to the headstones they were standing before – one for each of the rogue ninja they had slain. She was wary as she moved, careful not to jostle her right side where her arm was in a sling.

"He wasn't bad." It was Naruto's voice she heard beside her. "He just wanted to protect his master. He just wanted his life to have some meaning."

The blonde rested a modest bouquet of flowers atop the young boy's headstone, his expression somber. It was clear how much he regretted Haku's death.

Sakura's eyes shifted to the headstone to the far right, to Towa's grave. It was barren in comparison to the other two burial places. Haku's had its decorative flora, and near Zabuza's was his plank-like sword. The girl bent down to retrieve one flower from Haku's grave and rested it atop Towa's.

"Sakura-chan?"

"I know he wasn't quite as innocent as Haku," she explained, her tone quiet but heavy. "And even Zabuza showed some real emotion for Haku in the end. But Towa, I...he's the first person I ever..." She was struggling with her words, fighting back the waterfall of emotions she felt as she watched the cold gravestone before her. "I don't regret keeping you safe. Not at all. And if I had to re-live this, I wouldn't change a thing about the way I acted. I just regret, I regret...I'll always be the reason he's not here anymore."

Naruto eyed his teammate beside him. He could see how much this was burning her. Of the three students, she had been the first to take a human life. He burned a little inside too, watching her. He had never wanted to burden her with this, and he hated himself for it.

"Is this what it all means?"

The two genin turned behind them. It was always a rare moment when Sasuke spoke without being spoken to.

"Those two rogues followed Zabuza to their graves, all for a vision _he_ had. And we, as ninja on a mission, had conflicting interests so we had to take them out. Is that what being a shinobi is all about? Doing what we're told and getting rid of anything in our way until we end up dead like those three? Why is that?"

"It's true," started Kakashi. "Choosing a life as a ninja means choosing to face these very questions. Our role in this world seems simple – act as tools for our villages and trust in the leadership under which we follow. But it's a hard life, killing one's emotions and placing absolute faith in your orders. Such is the ninja way."

"That sounds a lot like Zabuza," answered Sasuke, his lips screwed together in distaste. "He viewed his ninja as weapons, a means to help him reach his goals. In his eyes, they didn't need a reason to follow him. They just did."

The Leaf shinobi were quiet with their thoughts. The week's events had provoked a lot of contemplation for them all. And quite a bit of soul-searching. The genin had no idea being a ninja would cause them to question so many things they had once thought absolute. Sakura felt twisted inside, confused about her views of the world and how righteous they were. How righteous _she_ was.

"Okay!" announced Naruto assertively, earning everyone's attention. The boy turned his face skyward, to the setting sun. He had abandoned all solemnity and bleakness. "I've come to a decision. If the ninja way is like Kakashi-sensei says, then I'm just gonna find my own ninja way. A path that's straight and true and without any regrets. From now on, I'm following the way of Naruto!"

The three ninja stared after the smiling boy. His confidence was admirable, his sincerity moving. Kakashi gave an amused smile beneath his mask. "I see. And what about you two?"

"Naruto talks too much," answered Sasuke after a pause, his smirk earning him a glare from his blonde teammate.

Kakashi chuckled lightly. "And what of you, Sakura?"

"I-I really don't know." Her voice had not adopted the same cheeriness as the rest of her squad. She still appeared quite troubled. "To be honest, I-I think I'm a lot like Zabuza. The way I see things, it's a lot like how he did. But...I don't think I want to be like that anymore. It just doesn't feel right."

Her emerald eyes strayed from the gravestones and she looked back on her team. "At the bridge, Haku had told me that my reasons for fighting weren't strong enough. So, maybe I'll find a new reason to. I don't know exactly what that will be though." The girl laughed lightly to herself. "Who knows? Maybe I'll choose to follow the 'way of Naruto' instead."

The kunoichi smiled brightly at her teammate, the blonde reciprocating regardless of his initial shock. Sasuke shook his head, grinning despite himself. "How I ever got stuck with teammates like you two, I will never understand."

The three genin began making their way down the hill back to the village, walking side by side. Kakashi stared after his students, his shadow from the setting sun stretching toward them. _You're wrong, Sakura. After all this, rather than Zabuza, I think you actually may be more like __**Haku**__ after all._

* * *

It had been four weeks since Team 7's return from the Land of Waves. The genin had felt quite accomplished, having been able to adequately protect the bridge builder and allow him to safely complete his bridge. They also played a consequential role in restoring the town's courage and spirit. However, their mission was not without its drawbacks.

Sakura's injury had remained quite severe on their return, despite the patch-up job Kakashi had done. She was banned from missions for a two-week period while her injuries healed. And even after she was deemed fit for combat, their team had been restricted to carrying out only D-ranked missions. That meant more cat-finding, dog-walking and tedious yard work.

There was also the issue of teamwork. The Land of Waves mission had spurred Sakura to begin opening up to her teammates – as best she could anyway. She was even able to relinquish the ever-present '-san' honorific she had previously cemented on them.

For Naruto and Sasuke on the other hand, it appeared their out-of-village trip had only exacerbated their rivalry. With the underlying competitive resentment they had for each other, the air around them could only be described as hostile. Sakura would sometimes attempt to pacify matters, but most times her reaction would just be a very exasperated sigh.

She was content that the current moment was not a sigh-worthy one though. The girl was standing on a bridge in Konoha. It was a location Team 7 typically used as a rendez-vous point. Only Sasuke waited with her now, his body resting against the painted metal railings. The day was breezy and somewhat cloudy – a conventional mid-fall morning.

The gusty air blew mutely between the pair. The silence was peaceful, and totally weightless. It lacked any trace of the awkwardness people commonly feel in such situations. It was this quality of Sasuke's company that Sakura grew to appreciate. He was abrupt, somewhat aloof and arrogant at times, to be sure, but it was because of this that she never felt obligated to carry out any discussion around him. There was no pressure for maintaining casually irrelevant conversation about things like the weather. She could just be.

Naruto, on the other hand, was a different case. He talked far too much, and the pinkette sometimes found it difficult to feel at ease around him. He was rowdy, rambunctious, reckless. It was these very things that reminded her so much of her childhood friend, Usagi. A part of her felt that perhaps this was the reason why she had closed herself so much from him, and yet felt so drawn to the boy at the same time. And for all her annoyance of him for his talkativeness, this quality of his had somehow endeared him to her. There was no other way she could describe what the hyperactive blonde had done to her, or why she had thrown herself to take that fatal blow for him only a month ago.

"Is he there yet? Is he? Is he?"

The kunoichi's eyes followed the voice she had heard. Naruto was racing toward his teammates, his cheeks slightly flushed when he finally came to a rapid halt before them.

"I'm really really late," he exclaimed through gasps. "Was out training and lost track of time. Is he here yet or not?"

"Is your vision as pathetic as your sense of time, dobe? Kakashi's not around, so obviously he isn't here yet."

All panting ceased. The blonde pierced his rival with a dagger-like gaze, an aggravated frown deeply set. "What makes you think I was asking you, Sasuke-teme? Just butt out of my business."

The raven-haired boy grunted. "You gonna use that one on me every time? You're my teammate. I was only trying to help you out."

"Liar! You don't care one bit about me, and I don't need you to."

"Settle down, you two," said Sakura calmly, gliding between the boys before they started lunging at each other. "What happened to teamwork, huh?"

Naruto folded his arms gruffly. "You see that, Sasuke? It's 'cause of you our teamwork's suffering so bad. You're way too testy."

"Well maybe I wouldn't be so testy if I didn't have to hear _your_ annoying voice booming so early in the morning. Did you think about that?"

The two continued glaring at each other, neither giving an inch. Sakura's eyes shifted from one boy to the other before finally dropping to the floor, a defeated sigh escaping her lips. It was far too early in the morning to be dealing with this.

"Looks like something interesting went down here."

The girl's eyes surfaced from the ground to find Kakashi crouched atop one of the arches of the bridge. The jounin descended gracefully toward his students, his half-lidded eye not missing the animosity between his male pupils.

"Let's just get started," he exhaled, deciding not to entertain the Naruto-Sasuke rivalry any further. Things only seemed to be getting tenser between the pair. "As you all might be aware of, the chuunin exams are coming up in December. For those of you who don't know what that is," – the man's gaze lingered pointedly on Naruto – "these exams are taken in order for genin to advance to chuunin level. Only the most experienced genin are selected. And I'll be recommending all three of you."

The silver-haired ninja paused, absorbing his students' expressions. Sasuke had a wisp of a smirk forming, while Naruto was beaming uncontrollably, his previous altercation with his teammate tossed aside.

"We get to become chuunin? Thank you, sensei! Thank you! Thank you! I was wondering when we'd finally get a chance to get rid of all of these lame missions, believe it!"

"There's still the matter of _passing_, Naruto" cautioned Sakura, her lips partially dipped in a frown. "And sensei, aren't these exams supposed to be incredibly dangerous? I mean, many people have lost their lives taking this test, right?"

"You are correct," answered Kakashi, measuring his female student's worry without much surprise. "Which leads me to two things." The jounin procured three separate pieces of paper from his back pocket. "The first is the matter of consent. Before I begin registering you for these exams, you must sign these forms indicating that you acknowledge the risks and are prepared to sit the exam. This is an individual decision, and you will have three weeks to make it. Only each of you can make this choice for yourselves."

The man distributed the slips to the genin. "The second matter concerns training. To ensure your preparedness, I've spoken with the three other jounin-senseis who have students sitting the exams. We've all agreed that our students should undergo a training exercise together in the coming days."

"A training exercise?" asked Sakura, her eyebrows knitted together. "With other genin? W-What kind of training exercise?"

"You'll find out soon enough, Sakura," answered their sensei with a smile. "You shouldn't be so concerned about it. Regardless of whether or not you choose to take the exams, we really feel this would be a very effective method of training. Oh, and I have one last thing to give you..."

The jounin retrieved more papers from his bag, although this pile was considerably thicker. "Here are the files on each of the genin you'll be working with. Your assignment for today and tomorrow is to study them so you'll have a sense of their abilities and techniques." The three young ninja took a stack respectively.

"We will all be having dinner together at Barbe-Q tomorrow evening at seven. Asuma swears it's the best steakhouse in town. It'll be a chance to get to know the other genin in your year before we debrief you. See you then."

Kakashi disappeared in his trademark puff of smoke, leaving his students to take in all that was said.

"Chuunin exams! Chuunin exams!" raved Naruto, consumed with glee. "This is great. And we get a free dinner to boot!"

"You really think we can get along with those other genin?" questioned Sakura, her expression doubtful. "Kakashi-sensei referred to three teams – that's _nine_ other people to coordinate with."

"You shouldn't worry so much, Sakura," said Sasuke, looking at her with assurance while Naruto continued his happy dance. "Those ninja are nothing. Besides, if you can handle the dobe for a teammate, anyone else should be a piece of cake."

He ended with a smirk, though Sakura's features could not convey that degree of confidence. It had taken her weeks before she grew accustomed to Naruto and Sasuke, and she only began to really trust them this past month. Being around so many new people made her very nervous. A passive "I guess" was all she could manage.

"Just don't think about it so much." The Uchiha sauntered forward, making his way across the bridge. Sakura stared after him, her worry still not placated.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Naruto beside her, finally off his chuunin-exam-high. "You look like something's really bothering you."

"It's fine," she sighed unconvincingly. "I'll just have to do my best with tomorrow night."

"You mean the dinner? It's gonna be so great! We'll get to really know our classmates. And I just know if they get to know you, they'll really fall in love with you, Sakura-chan."

His cheeks adopted a slight red hue, but the blonde smiled through it regardless. The girl reciprocated with a tiny curl of her lips, her heart trying to believe in her friend, although her pragmatic brain argued otherwise.

"I'm gonna go meet up with Konohamaru and his friends now," announced Naruto, referring to the pre-school students he befriended shortly after he graduated from the ninja academy. For whatever reason, these children had looked up to him as a role model of sorts. "I promised I'd play ninja with them today."

"A ninja playing ninja, huh?" she teased, one eyebrow arched. "Just be sure you make time to study those documents Kakashi-sensei gave us."

"Sure sure," he waved off. "I got this covered. See you tomorrow!" The blonde turned on his heels and dashed to the other side of the bridge. Sakura shook her head before going the opposite way. Her destination – the village library.

* * *

_I wonder what they'll be like._

This thought plagued Sakura for the better part of two days, and haunted her even now as she made her way to the steakhouse 'Barbe-Q' for some bonding time with the nine other genin. Reasons why this unorthodox training exercise was unwillingly thrust upon her occupied another helping of her time. And while restlessly contemplating over all this, she equally obsessed over memorizing every detail of the ninja files her sensei had armed them with. She needed every advantage she could get to survive this evening.

Arriving early was another tactic. She would wait at the restaurant before them all, and get to know as many as she could one-on-one before the loyal village genin transformed into a mob of voices that she would have to cut through to get a word in – if she could get any word in at all through her social anxiety.

Her calculated strategy fortifying her resolve, the girl left her apartment twenty minutes sooner than she needed to and was almost halfway to the restaurant. Before she could round the next corner, a loud clang caught her attention.

The pinkette halted in place, her eyes scanning the dark alley to her right. Some more sounds of scraping metal erupted from the alleyway, drawing Sakura closer.

"Where on earth are you, Meeko?"

It was a female voice, that of a child's. Almost immediately after she had made that conclusion, the form of a young girl emerged from the shadows. She had orange hair tied up into two large pigtails. The red, oval markings on her cheeks were partially scuffed with grime.

The figure swept a bead of sweat from her brow and sighed heavily. "This is hopeless. I'll never be able to find him."

"Excuse me," interrupted Sakura, approaching the girl slowly so as not to appear threatening. "Is everything okay here, miss?"

The child's dark, watery eyes fell on the pinkette. "It's okay," she answered with a sniffle. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Because it looks like something's troubling you. Could you tell me what's wrong? And don't worry, I won't hurt you or anything. I'm a Hidden Leaf shinobi. It's my job to help you out."

The orange-haired girl hesitated for a moment. "Well...step into that streetlight first. I wanna see your headband."

Sakura did as instructed, impressed with this girl's independent-mindedness. "You see." The kunoichi pointed at the band of metal on her head. "I'm only a genin, but I promise I'll do my best to help you."

The girl gaped at Sakura for a moment, her eyes drinking in every feature of the pinkette. "Hey, you're Naruto-niichan's teammate aren't you? Haruno Sakura, right?"

This sad little girl's expression suddenly lit into a fiery one, the way she looked at the genin. Sakura blinked back dumbly, shocked more so for the intense mood swing she displayed than that she knew her name. "Uhh, yes that's right."

A suppressed squeal escaped the girl before she continued. "I'm Moegi, one of Konohamaru's friends at pre-school. That's how I know Naruto-niichan. And he talks about you a lot, his awesome teammate with the pretty pink hair. I can't believe I've finally met you!"

The kunoichi gave an awkward smile, uncertain of what she was supposed to do in this situation. She never imagined she would actually have a fan. "I-It's a pleasure meeting one of Naruto's friends. But please tell me, what was it that had you so upset before."

Moegi suddenly became crestfallen. "My cat, Meeko. I can't find him anywhere!"

"So it's your cat that's missing. Maybe you should head home, talk to your parents about it. I'm sure they're wondering where you are by now. Plus they know Meeko just as well as you do. I'm sure they can help you find him. I can walk you home."

Moegi looked on the verge of tears now. "I can't go home! My parents are going to be so mad at me if they find out I lost him. I-I just have to keep looking for him."

Sakura inhaled deeply, torn between what to do next. She had dinner plans to get to. But at the same time, how could she leave this little girl alone in the village so late at night? She stepped closer to the girl and crouched to her level. "Don't you worry. We'll look for him together, and get you back home in no time."

Moegi's eyes glistened under the streetlight as she looked at the young ninja. "Y-You will? Oh, thank you, Sakura-senpai! Thank you! Thank you!" The girl engulfed Sakura in a small but vice-like hug. "You're as amazing as Naruto-niichan said you were!"

The kunoichi's body became rigid on contact with the girl, but she reciprocated the hug with one hand as best she could. "Now, let's get started shall we?" _I just hope this doesn't end up taking __**too**__ long..._

* * *

Over an hour had passed since Sakura's meeting with Moegi and still no Meeko.

The pair searched every dumpster, alleyway, street corner, window frame and crevice of the village center. Unfortunately, the only sign of life they found was street rats. One particularly crabby rodent would have attacked Moegi if Sakura had not pulled the small girl out of harm's way and saved her from the black creature's wrath.

The bridge was after that, and they even scanned the waterway as they searched just in case the feline might have fallen into the channel accidentally.

The park was next on the list. Sakura was exploring the trees while Moegi investigated the shrubbery near the swing set.

The kunoichi was painfully aware of how much time had slipped away from them on their hunt. Apart from Sakura being more than just fashionably late to dinner, Moegi's parents must have been worried sick for their daughter.

She felt a whisper of guilt when her mind wandered here. Was she wrong for entertaining this child's overwhelming concern for her pet instead of dragging her home? But what else could she do? Every minute that passed also meant they would have a harder and harder time locating Meeko. Immediate action was the right way to go, wasn't it?

"I'm gonna find him for sure this time."

Sakura had briefly lost track of Moegi, and her gaze returned to the girl only to find her making hard swings on the swing set. The child was getting more altitude by the second.

"Moegi-chan? What are you...?"

"I'm gonna find him for sure this time," she chanted again, her voice barely audible from the distance. "If I can just get high enough."

"Moegi-chan, no," exclaimed Sakura, bounding out of the tree she had just been rustling through. She had realized too late what the desperate girl was up to. She sought a bird's eye view of the playground, believing it would surely help them discover her Meeko faster. And she would get that view, at all cost.

Sakura raced toward the swing set. She had to make it to Moegi before she made the jump. Her legs stomped the ground roughly as she darted through the trees. She instinctively began pumping chakra to her feet for more speed and her body burst forward. But before she could get very far, the kunoichi's foot got caught on a tree root and she crashed harshly into the dirt. She had not anticipated the lack of visibility at night, and inwardly cursing herself for the miscalculation.

The pinkette staggered to her feet as quickly as she could, wincing at the pain in her side from her tumble. She stood upright just in time to witness the body of the young girl catapulting through the air, and she was also close enough to hear the boom when that body met earth...and the cry when the child felt it.

* * *

"They're gonna be sooooo disappointed in me. I'm such a failure."

Sakura exhaled, Moegi's deadened mood weighing on her as heavily as her body draped atop her back. "Please stop saying things like this, Moegi-chan. I'm sure your parents will understa-"

"That's just it, they _will_ understand. They'll understand I'm not responsible enough to even take care of a cat, much less be a ninja. I can't even make it back home without needing to be carried there."

The kunoichi frowned. "This is your home just up ahead isn't it?"

"Yeah," sighed the orange-haired girl. "Time to face the music I guess."

"Listen to me, Moegi-chan." Sakura latched onto the girl's shoulders and planted her on the ground. "I have no doubt that your parents love you. All parents do, and they're going to be so happy you made it home with only a sprained ankle.

"And even if you couldn't find your cat tonight, you can sleep well knowing you did everything in your power to find him. You've got too much heart to ever give up on your dreams, and never let anyone try to convince you otherwise. We clear?"

Moegi's widened orbs stared intently into Sakura's. Her lip quivered as she thought of her parents, but her tightened fist expressed a tiny resolve Sakura had spurred her to fight for. "Yes, Sakura-senpai."

The kunoichi had a wisp of a smile in place even as she turned to the sound of footsteps coming toward them.

"Moegi? Moegi!"

"Okaa-san."

A middle-aged brunette hustled toward the little girl, her outstretched arms engulfing the child. "We were worried sick, my darling. Where on earth were you? What were you doing? Your father just assembled the entire family to start a search party for you."

"I-I'm so sorry, Okaa-san. It's just I-I lost Meeko. I looked everywhere for him, honest I did. I t-tried so hard to find him." Moegi managed to choke her words out in between sobs, and her mother rubbed her back soothingly.

"Sh sh...we'll talk about this later. Everyone's waiting for us inside. And you..."

Sakura's eyes shifted from the mob of people peering at them from Moegi's house and returned to the woman before her.

"Thank you for bringing my daughter safely to us, Leaf ninja. We owe you her life."

"I-It was nothing, ma'am," stuttered Sakura, struggling to sound official. "No trouble at all."

"Please, you must stay for dinner. It's the least I can do to thank you."

"No no, I really must get going, I-"

"Please stay, just for a bite," insisted the woman.

The kunoichi shook her flushed cheeks. "I have a dinner I'm running late to myself. But I, um, really appreciate the offer, ma'am."

The brunette exhaled a disappointed breath. "Very well then. Please be careful on these streets so late."

"B-Bye, Sakura-senpai," said Moegi, still in her mother's arms. "And thanks again."

The pinkette bowed in farewell and hastily made her way to Barbe-Q for dinner – whatever was left of it anyway.

She was almost two hours late, and the kunoichi was excruciatingly conscious of that fact as she raced across town. Running there now, with dirt and grime marring her previously pristine exterior, would not have made much of a difference at this point. But it was the principle of the thing. At least her conscience would be clear.

The girl maintained her rushed pace until she skated to a halt in front of the steakhouse. Pressing her clothing insecurely, she entered and sought the familiar faces of her teammates.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," she exclaimed as she approached the table. Her tone was already flustered, and she buried her reddened face in an apologetic bow. All conversation had ceased –she had successfully earned the attention of the entire table of fourteen. Fabulous.

"Incredibly sorry," she continued. "You have my sincerest apologies, everyone. It was not my intention to be tardy."

"It's all right, Sakura," assured Kakashi, "I'm certain you didn't mean to. I'm also sure you have a pretty interesting story as to what held you up, hm?"

She nodded. "Y-Yes. You see, there was this lost cat. W-Well actually a girl looking for the lost cat, and well..."

The man sitting directly across from Kakashi erupted in laughter. "Really, Kakashi, I think your students are picking up more from you than ninjutsu. I just hope they don't start developing an obsession with certain novels too..."

"Asuma," reproached the female jounin of the group, punching his shoulder playfully.

A man in green coughed abruptly. "In any case, we still have the matter of getting Sakura here up to speed with the group, Kakashi. They will be starting the rigorous training mission tomorrow morning, after all."

"I don't think we'll have a problem in that department, Guy," answered Kakashi coolly. "Sakura, can you please tell me what you know about this jounin and his team."

Sakura bobbed her head affirmatively, her eyes occasionally darting to the sea of faces looking up at her nervously. Fortunately, her anxiety did not hamper her ability to recall the documents she had painstakingly memorized the day before.

"He is Might Guy, jounin-sensei of Team Guy. Guy-sensei is one of the greatest taijutsu specialists of the Hidden Leaf. His students are Hyuga Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten. They graduated from the Academy last year and all excel in physical combat.

"Hyuga Neji is a natural genius of the Hyuga clan and possesses the kekkei genkai, Byakugan. He is exceptionally skilled in close-ranged taijutsu as well as-"

"I think I've proven my point," interrupted Kakashi, glimmers of pride lacing his voice. "Thank you, Sakura, you can sit down now. We'll be ordering some more food shortly. Naruto and Chouji are still eating."

"Y-Yes, Kakashi-sensei. And once again, I greatly apologize for my lateness."

Her rigid back arched into another bow to the table before moving to take the free seat between Naruto and a girl with short blue hair. From the files she had been studying, Sakura knew her to be Hyuga Hinata, member of Team 8.

"Such formal manners," commented Yuhi Kurenai, Hinata's jounin-sensei. "You really did grow up in Iwagakure, didn't you? Ninja of the Land of Earth are usually so strict with regard to etiquette."

"I-I suppose," answered Sakura nervously, settling into her chair. The table was still much too quiet for her to be at ease.

"_That_ was where you used to live before you came to Konoha, Sakura-chan?" blurted Naruto on her immediate left. "I always thought you moved from some place in the Fire Country."

"That's really interesting," added Ino, kunoichi of Team 10. She and her teammates were seated across from Team 7. "What's it like in the Stone Village?"

Sakura shifted in her seat. "Well, the air is drier. And, um, it rains less."

The blonde girl let out a trill of giggles. "You're coming from this faraway land no one on this table has ever been to, and you comment about the weather? You're hilarious."

"Er, yeah," patronized Sakura, "a real riot." Her eyes rested on the tabletop as she absently watched the boy directly before her – Chouji – grilling some pieces of beef.

"Did you really like it there?" continued Ino. "And how'd you end up moving here anyway? I've never heard of people coming from a non-allied ninja village."

The pinkette pursed her lips together, her attention returning to her interrogation. "Well, I was born in Konoha and moved back when I was eight. My mother was from here so..."

"Quite skimpy with the details aren't you?"

Pearly eyes pierced the kunoichi from across the table. The boy who spoke was seated between the other two members of Team Guy. Sakura felt so small under his gaze, so transparent.

"Well now," boomed the dark-haired jounin, Might Guy, "I guess we should just get started then, ay Kakashi?"

"Agreed" answered the Copy Ninja, rising from his chair near the other senseis. "As most of you have heard, tomorrow morning your senseis and I will be implementing a joint training session designed to prepare you all for the upcoming chuunin exams. It will be in the form of a mission.

"You will be given a map leading to an unknown location outside of the Leaf Village – this is a perfect simulation of the survival section of the exams. At that location, some of us jounin will be there waiting for you. It could be one of us, even all of us. You won't know. This will simulate the uncertainty of enemy numbers during a mission.

"And yes, I said _enemy_ because your goal is to retrieve a scroll that we're guarding. It's as simple as that. However, the catch is that you won't be advancing in your assigned squads – all twelve of you must work together as a team to complete the mission."

"We decided to appoint my student, Hyuga Neji, as the team leader." The jounin clad in green approached the boy with the pearly eyes, a roll of parchment in hand. "We put you in charge of the map," – the man handed Neji the paper – "as well as coordinating the movements of the platoon."

"Your decisions won't be absolute like in a real squad," added Asuma from his chair, "but it's just to help give a group of your size some organization. Trust me, you're going to need it if you even hope to make it to the target."

"I understand," answered the Hyuga. "However, I am curious about something. Why exactly is it that we are working in a squadron so large? Ninja usually move in teams of no more than five. If this is indeed meant to simulate a mission exercise, why is this condition so unrealistic? Such a large number will make our mission more likely to be a failure, not a success."

"That is true, Neji," answered Guy. "But that's just another part of the challenge – being able to coordinate your movements to achieve a goal, despite the conditions or circumstances. It's what being a ninja is all about!" The enthusiastic sensei grinned widely at the genin, flashing them a hearty thumbs-up.

"Um, thanks Guy," said Kakashi, ruffling his silver hair.

"We must be on our way, now," announced Kurenai, rising from her seat along with the other jounin. "You are to set out on the training mission at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning."

"Oh and the bill is going to be placed on our tab," remarked Asuma, pulling the ruby-eyed kunoichi's chair out for her. "So feel free to stick around. Get to know each other a bit more, plan out a strategy and all that."

_We're supposed to stay here even __**longer**__? _Sakura massaged her temple, mentally bracing herself for more. The last few minutes were some of the most uncomfortable she had ever known. And now she finds out the torture was only just getting started?

Kakashi caught sight of his student's pained expression, and his face contracted into an encouraging smile when her eyes fell on him. She was certain her sensei had not missed her distress that evening. But she knew what that smile meant. _"Stay at it, Sakura. You're doing just fine."_ If only he had physically said this to her. Then she could openly disagree with him.

"Beef cut?"

Sakura's eyes wandered back to the table, finding a piece of cooked meat outstretched toward her. The boy, Chouji, was beaming softly at her as he offered her some food. "You haven't eaten all night. I can't imagine how hungry you must be."

Truth be told, the horrors of her evening had completely eradicated all craving of food. She accepted the morsel anyway, displaying a smile of genuine gratitude. "Thank you, Chouji-san."

"You can have the rest too," he continued. "I can cook more for myself when they bring us more meat."

"My eyes are totally deceiving me right now." Ino's brilliant blue eyes widened as they shifted to her teammate, Shikamaru, beside her. "I don't think I've ever seen Chouji share beef with anyone, not even me! Looks like someone's got themselves a little crush." The kunoichi flashed a mischievous wink at Sakura before turning back to the brown-haired boy.

The swirl marking on his cheeks had noticeably reddened as he shied his face away in embarrassment. His reaction only made the blonde even more amused. The pinkette furrowed her eyebrows but remained silent, focusing instead on the cuts of steaks Chouji had kindly given her.

And just when her demeanor was beginning to soften toward this group of genin.

"Was your father a ninja, Sakura?" She was able to recognize Neji's probing voice, her eyes surfacing from her meal.

"Yes, he was."

"A ninja of the Hidden Stone?"

The girl chewed the remnants of food in her mouth deliberately, averting her gaze from his as she sliced another piece of meat. The prodigy's trained eyes did not miss what her body language conveyed.

"So he was. Interesting. And what's more, you never answered Ino's question – about why exactly you ended up moving here."

"I-It's like I said – I was born here, as was my mother. My parents only moved away because of the instability of the Kyuubi attack on Konoha at the time."

"You still aren't answering my question, Haruno."

"You got a problem, Hyuga?" Sasuke's voice was low and steady, but carried an element of edge to it. "Because I'm really not liking the way you're interrogating my teammate."

On her left, Naruto's face had visibly tightened. He ground his teeth in an attempt to control himself.

"No problems," answered Neji diplomatically. "I was just trying to get to know her, as was the purpose of this little gathering, Uchiha." The table held its breath as the youngest geniuses of Konoha's most prestigious clans had their glaring match.

"I find it quite odd, a person from a non-allied ninja village living in another. And based on your teammate's responses, I'm beginning to question where her loyalties truly lie."

Neji's analytical gaze was now aimed at Sakura, and the kunoichi only stared back blankly. That was what this was all about? Did this Hyuga Neji think her to be some sort of spy from Iwa?

"Now just stop right there! How dare you question Sakura-chan of being a-"

"It's all right, Naruto," interjected the kunoichi, her voice calm. She had faced the same kind of scrutiny from the village officials when she first arrived in Konoha. This was nothing new. "I get that I've been avoiding some key questions here, which makes me look suspicious. But, the truth is I'm not really allowed to talk about my life in the Hidden Stone."

"Is that true?" remarked Ino, ramming herself into the conversation.

Sakura only nodded. "Part of the condition for allowing me to leave was that I was sworn not to talk about the Stone Village – the terrain, the ninja, the government, anything. I promised Tsuchikage-sama."

"And you've just made my point."

"Just what the heck's your problem, Neji?" spat Naruto, his body coiled to pounce at the irritating genin at a moment's notice.

"You heard her – she's following an order to serve the Tsuchikage, even though the information she holds could help our village. Tell me, Sakura, if Hokage-sama demanded you relinquish this intelligence, would you?"

The girl's fist tightened, though she fought back the knot of fury that was twisting within her. "Both Iwagakure and Konohagakure are my homes. I could never betray one _or_ the other. I assure you, I would never do harm to Konoha. You have my word as a fellow Hidden Leaf shinobi. Isn't that enough?"

"I am afraid it isn't" responded the boy bluntly. "A ninja cannot serve the wishes of two villages simultaneously, let alone two countries that can very well be at war with each other one day. Your loyalty as a shinobi is compromised, as is your father's. Betrayal is not out of the question, for either one of you."

"Don't..." Her breathing deepened, and she felt her body growing hot as she forced her words through gritted teeth. "Don't you dare...don't you ever speak about my father like that." Her eyes were like an evergreen forest roasting in the deepest fire pit.

"You said this meeting was supposed to let us get to know each other, so I'm telling you what you need to know. I am Haruno Sakura, kunoichi of the Hidden Leaf Village. I am fully dedicated to every mission I am given – mind, heart, body and soul – and I complete my missions in service to the Hokage and the people of Konoha. That, you cannot doubt."

Her body rose from her chair smoothly, her form rigid. "Forgive me, everyone, but I must now kindly ask to be excused. I shall meet you all at the village gate at 10 in the morning. And I will not be late."

The pinkette did not spare anyone a glance before she strode from the table, exiting the restaurant.

* * *

Her teary eyes did not allow her to wander very far from the steakhouse, and she retreated to a rooftop nearby.

She circled atop the roof at a violent pace, huffing erratically with each cycle. She had never been so insulted in her entire life. How dare this Hyuga Neji even think her father was some disloyal scum. And what he thought of her? It was all far more frustrating than anything the village officials ever told her. She had the Third Hokage defending her then but...this Neji didn't know her. How could he ever say such things?

It was several minutes of marching and internal-tirading before her protesting temper was pacified. The pinkette ended up resting on the edge of the building, her feet dangling over the sides as she inhaled a whip of cool air.

_That's the very reason why he should be so suspicious of you, Sakura,_ she rationalized. _It's because he __**doesn't **__know you. He's just trying to protect the village. You can respect that, right? Be the bigger person and respect it...you just don't have to like it..._

Her eyes scanned the shimmery sky above. The stars were so beautiful tonight. _Oh Oto-san...all your comrades loved you. How will I ever get any of mine to trust me, let alone like me?_

Before the silent fireflies of light could give her a response, the girl registered two familiar presences behind her.

"Sakura?" began her raven-haired teammate. "Are you all right?"

"Well I've been better." She turned to the two boys, offering them a small but reassuring smile. "I'll be okay though."

Sasuke nodded back, while Naruto bolted forward and began his own tirade. "Damn that little prick. I was ready to punch his lights out, the way he was treating you! Like you were some big bad threat to society or something."

The girl winced. "I'm glad you didn't."

"No denying he would have deserved it though," said Sasuke, his face hard. Did Sasuke just _agree_ with Naruto?

The fuming blonde released an exasperated sigh, his mood placating. "We're just glad you're okay, Sakura-chan. Just don't worry about that creep anymore. He isn't worth your time."

"Yeah, though, well...I was actually a lot more worried about you two."

"Us? What do you mean, Sakura-chan?"

She looked up at their puzzled faces, her expression torn. Maybe she shouldn't have brought this up.

"You can tell us," urged Sasuke, his tone surprisingly patient.

"W-Well...those things Neji-san said...you don't think he has a point? I mean, do you guys still trust me at least? I-It's okay if you don't, I guess...I just..."

"Is that what you're gettin' all flustered about," laughed Naruto. "That Neji kid doesn't know the real Sakura-chan like we do. We'd be totally nuts to listen to him."

Sakura's eyes met Sasuke's, and she could see he felt the same way. She could have sworn he might have even rolled his eyes at her.

"But you can't tell me my whole story doesn't have holes in it. Why would you still trust me? Why do I still deserve it?"

"You've never given us any reason not to." The Uchiha's hard gaze was fixed on her. There was a small crease between his brow. He looked somewhat...upset? Was he angry at her for talking this way? The boy shook his head, almost exasperated. "Or did you forget the time you nearly died to save the dobe?"

Her lips parted but no words escaped her. Sasuke still appeared tempered, but Naruto's face was dripping with guilt. He nodded to her apologetically in agreement.

"It doesn't matter what we don't know," continued Naruto. "What matters is what we do. We know you'll fill in the blanks for us when you're ready."

Her emerald eyes shifted from one teammate to the other. Their softened expressions were like a hot iron to her chest. Could her heart handle what she felt needed to be done?

"The reason why I came to Konoha – the reason I left Iwa – you see, there was a civil war."

Her gaze retreated to the floor, and she inhaled a bracing breath. This had to be said. They had to know. "The whole village was in chaos. So many people died, so much was being destroyed. Buildings, homes, f-families..."

Her fist clenched at the concrete she was sitting on, her eyes squeezing shut as she tried to force out the memories. "I-I...I lost everyone. E-Everyone I ever knew – my friends, my relatives, m-my...my parents..."

Tears drizzled to the pavement as she sobbed quietly. These words were acid on her tongue. She had never described those events to anyone since she entered the Hidden Leaf.

"The Tsuchikage and the Hokage agreed to let me live in Konoha after that. It's what my parents wanted, s-so I moved. I, I just wanted to get away from everything. Is it so wrong? To run away from the thing that would just bring you more pain? I didn't want to be disloyal. I just, I just...I wanted to forget. Why is that so wrong?"

Her uncontrollable weeping gradually began to quiet. She was embarrassed at how weak she was being, that she could let anyone see her crumble this way. It was degrading. She no longer sat in her room to cry her pain out. Those days were long gone. How could she allow herself to do this now? After all this time?

"It's okay," consoled Naruto, now sitting beside her. He raised his arm to encircle her in a half-hug but hesitated, opting to rest his hand on hers instead. "You're not wrong. I can't imagine what you've...well I just mean that I...Sakura-chan I...what happened is..."

"You're rambling." She gave a quiet chuckle through her tears.

The blonde smiled guiltily to himself. He squeezed her hand tighter, abandoning his fumbled words.

"We're here for you."

Her burning eyes of green surfaced to Sasuke before her. His obsidian orbs stood like pillars of resolution, but there were traces of softness laced within them that Sakura had never seen in him before. There was a warmth to them, a blanket of understanding.

"Whenever you need us..."

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -


	9. Together We Fall

******Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**********RE-WRITE: 3/15/12**

* * *

_**Together We Fall**_

On the morning of the training mission, Sakura had ensured she made it to the meeting place at the village gate far ahead of time. She would not tolerate two days of consecutive tardiness. It was nearing 10am now, and only Team 10 had yet to arrive.

Sakura stood with Naruto and Sasuke at her side. She could feel eyes on her every now and then, most times from Rock Lee, and she half-wondered how many of the other genin shared Neji's distrust of her. The Hyuga had done well to keep his distance from her – though she expected the glares from her teammates may have discouraged him from starting anything up.

"We're coming, we're coming!" Ino raced ahead of her team toward the assembly, gliding to a halt before them. "Sorry for running late! We would have made it here a lot sooner if those two would have picked up the pace just a little." The blonde uttered the last part in deliberate earshot of her teammates, sticking her tongue at them teasingly.

The dark-haired boy, Nara Shikamaru, rolled his eyes. "Exhausting ourselves by running around before even starting a mission sounds pretty dumb to me."

"You know you just wanted to keep things slow for Chouji."

"Whatever," was all he responded, though their brown-haired teammate appeared slightly uncomfortable. "By the way, Sakura, this little kid was looking for you."

The kunoichi furrowed her eyebrows. "A little kid?"

Shikamaru and Chouji approached the pinkette and stepped aside to reveal a pre-school-aged girl with orange hair. "Sakura-senpai!"

"M-Moegi?" stuttered Sakura, her expression stunned as the child swallowed her in her arms. "Is everything all right? Your ankle is well enough to walk on?"

"Yeah, don't worry everything's super! I just wanted to give you these." The girl handed her a bag of what appeared to be homemade cookies. "It's a little thank you from Okaa-san, for helping me look for my cat and carrying me home when I got hurt and stuff last night."

"Your mother didn't have to do all this. Uhh, thanks so much, Moegi-chan. And please give your mom my thanks as well." The kunoichi tucked the sweets into her weapons' case.

"Forget about it, it was nothing. My family owns a chain of restaurants, so Okaa-san's _always_ in the kitchen. We felt bad I messed up your dinner plans too. Was she awfully late, Naruto-niichan?"

The blonde gave a mischievous chuckle. "Nah, it just made her look cool rollin' in whenever she wanted."

"Naruto," sighed Sakura, although she did prefer his version of events to reality.

"Then good luck on your mission today, Sakura-senpai, Naruto-niichan. Stay safe!"

"Bye, Moegi-chan," called the two in unison.

A boy with chocolate brown hair strolled to their side. "So you really were telling the truth about that cat being lost, weren't you? Man, and here I thought you were making the whole thing up!"

"You're so full of it, Kiba," replied Naruto. "Of course she was tellin' the truth. She's Sakura-chan. And Sakura-chan doesn't lie, about _anything_." The boy shot a purposeful glance at Neji.

"I-I don't blame people for thinking so though," added Sakura. "I have a feeling even Asuma-sensei thought I was just giving a creative excuse."

"Well I sure don't consider cats worth going out of your way to save," remarked Kiba, "but I can't argue with trying to help a little girl out. I'm sure you know this already, but I'm Inuzuka Kiba."

Sakura gave a small bow of salutation and smiled. "Haruno Sakura."

"Yeah I know, we took some classes together at the Academy. I never forget a scent. And this little guy here is Akamaru."

A small white dog emerged from the genin's loosely-fit grey jacket. Its pink tongue sagged outside its mouth as it barked in greeting. The kunoichi's body stiffened and she distanced herself from the canine in one small bound. Her eyes were frozen on the white animal.

"What's wrong with you?"

"I, um..." She did her best to let her center of vision return to the boy rather than his companion, but it was not without difficulty. "...I'm sorry, Kiba-san, I just don't really like dogs very much."

"Uh, oh" he said. "Yeah, whatever. That's cool I guess."

Sakura was all but mentally kicking herself as the genin rejoined his teammates. What was that all about? That was her chance to really make a connection with one of the other ninja. And Kiba had seemed so perfectly friendly and open. Why did he have to carry his ninken with him? When she had read he fought alongside a canine companion, she had thought it was through summons like Kakashi. And just when things were starting to go so well...

_Score chart_, thought Sakura.

Ino – too loud and annoying, and she kept treating her like they were best friends or something

Neji – trusted her as far as you could trust a broken mirror

Chouji – so thoughtful, but will definitely be avoiding her like the plague thanks to all of Ino's teasing

Kiba – no potential friendship

As for the rest of the genin, Hinata was practically mute the entire time she sat next to her last night. And Lee appeared wary of her in his own right, stealing glances every chance he could manage. That hardly left anyone at all.

"Now, everyone fall in," commanded Neji. "I believe it is about time we began the exercise."

"You settled out the organization of the platoon, right?"

"Yes, Tenten. As most of you would recall, after dinner last night we established that we needed to advance toward our objective in such a way that we would be able to detect traps and defend against them. We had decided to follow Shikamaru's suggestion of working in two-man cells totaling six units. After reviewing your files last night, I have a proposal for these units.

"Kiba and I would be in the lead, scanning ahead for traps and ambushes. Sakura and Sasuke would be next. With their combination of tai- and ninjutsu, along with the fact that they are used to working together, they would be able to react to any sudden threats.

"Then, Lee and Naruto would be next in line. They would offer attack support from both the front and rear. After that, we have Shikamaru and Ino who would work together and use their jutsu in unison to immobilize the enemy when they are distracted by the first units.

"Chouji and Tenten would be fifth. Chouji's strength would provide us a good base, while Tenten's weapons would give the front long-range support, while also being able to attack any enemies in the back. Lastly, Hinata-sama and Shino would take the rear, scanning behind us in case of a surprise attack from the back."

Sakura thought through the assignments Neji had organized, impressed with his strategy. It was refreshing to view the results of the boy's relentless analytical abilities when they were geared for instead of against her.

"Your plan is truly splendid, Neji. I expect nothing less from you."

"Thank you, Lee. It is my intention that we succeed in this mission, after all. As I doubt anyone has any objections, we shall proceed as I have suggested. When we near our destination, I shall scan the target area with my Byakugan so that we may devise an appropriate battle strategy from there."

The genin nodded to their leader and fell in line, readying themselves for the task at hand.

* * *

The genin traveled via tree-leaping through the forest. Their journey had been uneventful thus far, as they moved ever closer to their target location nearing one of the borders of the Fire Country.

The day was moist and cloudy, but this did not damper the ninja's alertness. Their reflexes were at the ready for any attack, but the dull hours that had snaked by were beginning to raise alarms of their own.

"Hey everyone, we gotta stop now."

The Leaf shinobi instantly reacted to Shikamaru's command, regrouping on the ground.

"What's the holdup?" asked Kiba, the dry period of action adding to his impatience.

"You're beginning to wonder why we haven't run into any trouble, aren't you?" predicted Neji.

"It just doesn't seem right. The way the senseis were goin' on about it last night, it was like they weren't even expecting us to make it there at all. I doubt we have much further to go, and they don't attack once? Somethin' doesn't smell right here. What a drag."

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows, her mind searching for reasons to explain the discrepancy Shikamaru had brought up.

"You sure you were reading the map right?"

"Yes, Ino. I am absolutely positive."

"Let someone else take a look, just in case."

"I told you, I did not-...ugh, very well. So you no longer question it." The Hyuga retrieved the parchment and revealed it to the team. "You see. I have followed the coordinates precisely."

There was a weak haze surrounding the map which caught Sakura's attention. "Could I take a closer look at that, Neji-san?"

"You don't believe me either, Haruno?"

"Just be quiet and give her the paper," spat Sasuke, his eyes narrowing on their team leader. Neji offered the pinkette the map without any further resistance, apart from a very icy glance at both Team 7 genin.

Sakura's eyes were transfixed on the page, following every painted line and marking. It seemed sound, but there was a suspicious quality to the map she could not place. She traced her fingers over the parchment. Symbols depicting permanent landmarks, such as forests, rivers and mountains, were easily felt. Oddly enough, the blotch of ink representing the destination of their mission had no texture to it.

The girl ran her fingers over the paper once more, and her eyes widened at the realization of what was happening. "It's a trap."

The young ninja arched their bodies in immediate alert, scanning their surroundings for any sign of danger. "What do you mean, Sakura-chan?" asked Naruto, his kunai pressed before him. "There's nothing around here."

"No time to explain. We have to get moving before-"

The detonation of a smoke bomb in the heart of their circle interrupted her. The Leaf ninja gasped and guffawed as they unsuccessfully attempted to navigate out of the shroud of orange.

"Smoke bomb!" coughed Tenten. "We'll never be able to get through."

"No, this isn't a smoke bomb," asserted Shino. "My insects are reacting strangely. It's an anesthetic. We must escape this cloud or else-"

The insect-user lost control of his voice as he reluctantly collapsed to the dirt, the other genin following suit.

* * *

Musty air.

It was the scent of musty air that ushered Sakura into consciousness. As she began to awaken, her blurred vision cleared to reveal stone walls, metal bars, chains and cobwebs. These dungeon-like observations snapped the kunoichi into immediate awareness, fully registering her predicament.

She and the other genin were each locked in two rows of separate, adjoining cages, six on either side. Within these cages, their arms were shackled and the restraints were attached to the high ceiling by chains. Leading from this ceiling along the chains ran several wires that were lodged into their hands.

There were no guards to explain what was happening, but Sakura needed no explanation to deduce that this was not the doing of their jounin-senseis, and they were all in serious trouble. She tested her strength against her metal bindings but did not manage to make a dent. And even as her body was being lifted by her shackles, her limbs felt sluggish and heavy. Just what on earth was happening to them?

"Those wires are sapping our chakra," explained Shikamaru, his cell on Sakura's immediate right. "You won't be able to focus any energy to try to break free. Man, what a drag."

"Is everyone all right?" asked Ino, who also seemed to have just woken up.

Sakura's eyes became adjusted to the dim prison. There seemed to be no source of natural light, which suggested they might have been held underground. She glanced around her at the other genin.

Kiba groaned. "Well, apart from being captured by an unknown enemy and having our chakra drained, yeah I'd say we're all just peachy. Looks like everyone's awake now at least. Now does anyone have a clue what the heck is going on here?"

"I think it is safe to assume this is not the doing of our senseis," concluded Neji. "I cannot imagine what use they would have of capturing us."

"I-It would probably help i-if we knew how we were captured first," suggested Hinata. "S-Sakura, perhaps you might be the best person t-to explain?"

"Indeed," agreed Neji. "Did you discover who these enemies are?"

"Well, no. But I did determine that the map was actually a fake."

"But how?" inquired Lee. "The map was given to us by Guy-sensei himself. How could it have been tampered with?"

"It wasn't. They didn't alter the map, but changed our perception of it. Someone casted a genjutsu to make the map look different and lead us here."

"Are you positive," remarked Tenten. "How did you figure that out?"

"In our training exercises with Kakashi, Sakura was always the best in our squad at genjutsu," answered Sasuke. "She has a knack for seeing through it. But enough about how we got into this mess. How are we going to get _out_?"

"I'll bust us outta here. Just leave it to me!" announced Naruto. He lifted his foot to reach his mouth and recovered a sliver of metal hidden in the sole – a razor blade. "A good ninja's always prepared for anything," he said, the blade between his teeth.

The blonde hauled his body to eye-level with the chains, pressing the blade against iron before he swiveled his head back and forth. Just as he was beginning to make some progress chiseling the shackles, the blade grazed one of the wires. A resultant surge of electricity ripped though the boy, his body seizing uncontrollably. His mouth released the razor as he yelped at the electroshock.

"Naruto!" called Sakura.

The electrifying energy ceased, leaving a spasming body in its wake. "Stupid wires," he breathed.

"We must discover another means of escape," said Shino.

Sakura examined her shackles, her gaze following the chains and wires to the ceiling. The wires disappeared through a hole while the chains were hooked to an iron ring screwed into the wall. Whispers of an escape plan were forming in her head.

"Don't you think you're wasting your chakra doing that, Neji?"

Kiba's voice alerted them to their team leader, his eyes tensed into the form of the Byakugan. They reverted to normal shortly after.

"We need a better sense of our surroundings," he panted. "At the very least I hope to find the safest exit path should we manage to free ourselves."

"Hinata can help you out," suggested Kiba, throwing a glance at his teammate. "Why don't you ask her?"

"This is beyond what Hinata-sama is capable of doing. Or do you actually want her to hurt herself?" The two boys glared at each other before Neji returned to his work, Kiba muttering something under his breath.

The shackles recaptured Sakura's attention and the girl pulled at the chains, being careful not to disrupt the wires. She only met resistance. _I wonder if I can get this thing out of the ceiling._

The girl held onto the cuffs, lifted her legs and, using the wall for support, turned herself upside down. Her upturned legs tightened around the chains above and she heaved the rest of her body upwards, her hands grasping the chains as she scaled the rope-like shackles.

When she reached the ceiling, she gripped the iron ring to which the chains were fastened. She pulled and tugged, the bar of metal grating against the concrete as she tried to dislodge it. The jostling ring stubbornly protested against her hold until it finally gave way. Gravity suddenly took hold of her and her body descended, plopping to the ground.

"Sakura-chan, that was so super cool."

"I was actually surprised it worked," she exhaled in relief.

"That was a stroke of genius," asserted Rock Lee. "A truly brilliant display of ingenuity, grace and dexterity." The pinkette's face melted from her burning cheeks.

Sasuke wasted no time following what his teammate had done, the rest of the genin imitating him. Within minutes they were freed from the chains – all but one of them, that is.

"Any progress on finding an exit yet, Hyuga?"

The panting genin smirked, his eyes reverting to normal. "Do you always carry such a demanding tone when you speak, Uchiha? And yes, I do believe I have located it. Our path to freedom lies past the door nearest our cells. It leads to a cave that extends to the outside."

"Have you discovered anything about the identity of our enemies?"

"I'm afraid not, Lee. My chakra is too limited."

"No doubt you've already exhausted what little bit you had anyway," sighed Tenten. "Now you should work to get your chains off you at least."

While Neji fiddled with his shackles, Shikamaru addressed the group. "I guess the next step in our little escape plan is to cut these wires, and we'll have to snip them all in one shot. Otherwise, we'll end up getting roasted like Naruto earlier."

"But how do we do that, Shikamaru?" questioned Ino. "Naruto's little razor blade can't hack a job like that."

"Haven't you guys noticed it yet? Your weapons' cases?"

Sakura's eyes ran to her waist, as did most of the other genin. Her two cases still appeared full, and she mildly registered their weight.

"They didn't take away our weapons? What gives? That's like capture-rule number one."

"Sheesh Ino, you complain about everything," said Shikamaru, rolling his eyes.

"Didn't stop them from thinking to tie up Akamaru though." Kiba begrudgingly glanced down at the restrained dog sharing his cell. "I can't wait to get my hands on whoever's responsible for this."

"That would require freedom first," reminded Shino, "for you cannot punish these foes if you do not remove yourself from this cage to do it. We must do as Shikamaru suggests and acquire our weapons from our holsters in order to sever the wires."

"It's gonna be tough though," added Chouji. "We're still stuck keeping our hands above our heads."

"Sakura," called Sasuke on her immediate left, "help me out with this."

The kunoichi moved toward the bars adjoining hers and Sasuke's cells, though she was confused as to what he meant.

"Press your hip against the bars. I'm going to focus chakra into my feet to lift your weapons' case off you and get something to cut these wires with." She did as he asked, finding his idea as good as any to try.

His raised foot rested against the bars, the chakra pumping through them attracting her pouch like a magnet. The case squeezed through the metal rods with little difficulty, stuck to the sole of Sasuke's shoe. He swung his leg upward, releasing his chakra so that the item sailed above his head before his ready hands caught the maroon bag.

"Th-that isn't the right one," choked Sakura. "It doesn't have any of my kunai or shuriken in there."

The boy's fingers froze over the zipper as he gave his teammate a curious look. "What do you have inside it then?"

Her eyes averted from his. "Just i-important things that I...is now really the best time to be asking me that?" she stammered. "Try again, only grab this beige one instead."

Sasuke shrugged off his prying interest and reattempted the maneuver, managing to retrieve three kunai from the case. He aimed two of them to Sakura and Kiba, on his left. Several of the other genin mimicked Sasuke, and before long they were all armed with kunai to slash the wires.

"I feel we should pause before continuing," announced Shino, "for there are more issues that require further discussion."

"W-what's wrong, Shino?" asked Hinate.

"Yeah, why're we stopping?" added his dog-loving teammate.

"I anticipate that cutting these cords will likely alert the enemy of our escape-attempt. I therefore believe we should have a plan in place beforehand so we may act quickly and without hesitation."

"I thought about how we'd get out of these cells," said Tenten. "The iron ring at the ends of our chains would be perfect levers to force the pins in the hinges of our cage-doors off. So that solves getting our doors open."

"Excellent suggestion, Tenten. Nothing less from a teammate of mine! And thanks to Neji, we already know which door we should escape through. It is the one nearest our cells."

"I'm thinkin' getting these shackles off our arms would come in handy too," said Shikamaru. "We're gonna be in for one heck of a fight once we get out. Chouji my man, think you can use your strength to break these when we start running?"

"Leave it to me, Shikamaru."

"But your jutsu uses so much chakra," added Ino. "I can barely sense mine anymore. How can you be sure you'll be able to do it?"

"They didn't take our equipment away," answered Chouji with a smile. "That means I've got at least three bags of chips on me. Chakra replenishes a lot faster once you've eaten, and I'm willing to share with anyone else too. Though I don't think there's enough for everyone."

"We must decide how we will ration this out then," asserted Neji. "Three bags should be more than sufficient for three. Four would be pushing it. One person from each squad seems fair."

Each team of genin eyed each other, wordlessly deciding who would be the choice person to receive a chakra boost.

For Sakura, Sasuke seemed the obvious pick; apart from being one of the best genin of his year, choosing him would give them the benefits of his Sharingan. As she eyed him, silently casted him her vote, her cases in his hands caught her attention. She remembered something useful she had stowed that morning, something that was now even more valuable than any weapon.

"We have enough for more," she blurted, earning everyone's interest. "In my case, there's the bag of cookies Moegi-chan gave me before we left. I think that leaves us with enough for seven or eight."

"What a fabulous turn of fortune," exclaimed Lee. "Your heroism last night was well rewarded, Sakura-san."

"I think from our squad, you and Neji should get the food," said Tenten.

"Kiba and Hinata will receive it from our end," said Shino. "My parasitic insects are capable of absorbing more chakra for myself."

"For us, Chouji's a given. Ino, it's your choice which one of us will get it."

"Well my Mind Transfer jutsu works its best with your jutsu, Shikamaru. But we're on our own here, so it only makes sense to pick you. I'm on a diet anyway. A choice between potato chips or cookies? I think I'll pass."

"Both Naruto and Sasuke are chakra-guzzlers," said Sakura. "You should get the rations."

"But Sakura-chan, they're _your_ cookies," insisted Naruto. "Take mine. You know I'm never out of chakra."

"I don't have any heavy-weight ninjutsu like you and Sasuke. Besides, in a fight my brain's more useful than anything else. I'll be all right." She flashed him an assuring smile.

"I-I also think that Ino should take m-my rations," stuttered Hinata.

"What? But my team already got to choose two. That won't be fair at all."

"B-But Ino, we're t-technically all on one t-team here. For now, th-there aren't any squads. And for the sake of our survival, I-I don't think food should be wasted on me. I'm not, well, I'm not the greatest fighter a-anyway."

"Well gee," breathed Ino, lost for words. "Thanks so much, Hinata." The Hyuga girl nodded.

"What a splendid display of comradery," said Lee. "I am with you, Hinata-san. Between us, there is no Team Guy or Team 8 or any of the sort. We are merely The Twelve Proud and Youthful Shinobi of Konoha!"

"The Konoha Twelve," screeched Ino.

"Yeah, I am so pumped, believe it," cheered Naruto. "Let's get out of these cages already and show 'em who's boss!"

"I'm certainly ready for a good scrape," yelped Kiba.

The room was budding with enthusiasm. All of last night's disagreements, distrust and butting-of-heads was thrown to the wind, the desire for survival and freedom unifying their hearts. The foresight of a common goal burned in their eyes as they threw each other fleeting glances before getting to work.

The Leaf ninja severed the wires, unhinged their cage doors and raced through the exit. The chips and cookies were divvied amongst them as they ran, and a replenished Chouji was finally able to break everyone's restraints with some help from his Expansion jutsu.

The cave they were now running through was dark, the intermittent fire torch being the only source of light. The genin dashed through the tunnel as swiftly as their feet could carry them, Neji and Sasuke leading the group. They managed to travel quite a way before they encountered the first sign of their detection.

"It's the same anesthetic as before," exclaimed Neji, when their group was buffeted by a cloud of orange. "Hold your breaths and keep running."

Anticipating the likelihood of this move, Sakura was prepared for a counter measure. She wrested her weapons' case from Sasuke and recovered a paper bomb, tossing the item into the air. Its detonation propelled the smoke away with a boom, the impact forcing the genin to the floor.

"Are you hoppin' mad?" yelled Kiba, his voice sounding with panic and frustration.

"No, she's just brilliant," replied Sasuke. "That paper bomb blew away any smoke that could get us re-captured. I'm betting you had this plan in mind all along, didn't you?" Sasuke shot his pink-haired friend a smirk.

Sakura smiled. "You know me too well, Sasuke. Still, is everyone all right?"

"We'll be fine," answered Neji, brushing himself off as he rose. "But we must keep moving." Their chase for freedom resumed promptly.

Sakura's body was running on pure adrenaline now, her heavy legs pounding the ground as she bounded for the exit. Even while exhausted, she knew she could run faster; she had always been an exceptional runner. But she hung back, sticking with her team in case they needed her, and because she also needed them. They were in this together. Things were still dangerous and grim, signs of natural light still nowhere in sight.

"Looks like we got trouble," droned Shikamaru, his eyes catching shadows in the distance. "There's a bunch of ninja waiting for us up ahead. Things would just be too easy if there weren't. What a total drag."

"We must get through them quickly," urged Neji. "Tenten, use your weapons to lessen their number before we confront them."

"Sure thing, Neji."

Tenten sprang into the air, her unwrapped scrolls of parchment spiraling at her sides. She began her summoning, hurling her onslaught of weapons – kunai, shuriken, knives, spikes – with deathly accuracy. Despite the distance, she eliminated quite a large number of them.

"Now that Tenten's decreased their numbers a bit," said Shikamaru as they neared the remaining enemies, "hey Chouji, think you can bowl out the rest of 'em?"

"You got it, Shikamaru. Expansion Jutsu: Human Boulder!" The genin transformed into a ball three times human size and charged ahead, crushing their foes into the ground as he passed over them.

"Yeah, that's what I call teamwork!" exclaimed Naruto.

The sound of Chouji's roll echoed through the empty space as they ran. But somehow, the vibration was growing louder – a curious fact considering the Akimichi had since ceased his technique.

"Uh, guys," asked Ino, "am I the only one who's getting super-freaked out by that sound?"

"It certainly is suspicious," agreed Shino. "And it feels like it's getting closer."

"Behind us," shouted Kiba, turning in time to catch a monstrous boulder lumbering toward them.

The barreling bedrock of doom was fairly distant, but battled with greatest speed to cross the space toward its victims. The genin scrambled to safety, not entirely certain where "safety" was but hoping that if they ran far enough then they might have a chance of escaping the trap.

Chouji struggled to keep up the heightened pace, wheezing as his body was beginning to give out. "I can't, guh, I just, huff, I can't go on," he panted, his cheeks rosy and hot.

"No way, big guy," asserted Naruto, grappling one of the boy's shoulders. "You're not givin' up that easy, believe it."

"Indeed," said Lee on the other shoulder, "let us assist you. We shall not allow our comrade to fall."

The two boys exerted their bodies harder, pushing Chouji onward as they raced. "Th-thank you," gasped Chouji, stifled by both emotion and fatigue.

"We can't let up, everyone," said Tenten, painfully aware that the approaching boulder was slowly gaining on them. "Keep going. We're all going to make it out of this."

"Hey, wait a minute, where's Akamaru?" Kiba's head swiveled frantically about, his eyes roaming the ground for his canine partner. A small bark echoed behind them, earning their attention.

The chocolate-haired genin was assailed by the image of Akamaru, galloping toward them with the tumbling rock on his heels. The dog had fallen so behind, and Kiba inwardly cursed himself for not taking notice sooner. The animal had barely five feet breathing space, and that room was shrinking by the second.

"Akamaru! I'm comin' for ya boy-"

"Leave him to me."

A knock to the shoulder and flicker of pink stopped Kiba from pouncing after his canine friend. He finally realized it was Sakura who had impeded him, as she dashed toward Akamaru and the stony pinball.

"Sakura-chan!" called Naruto, his eyes not missing his teammate's suicidal endeavor.

"What are you doing?" continued Sasuke, his worried thoughts mirroring the blonde's.

Sakura heard her teammates' cries but did not falter. She knew she was fast, faster than even Kiba. If there was anyone who could do this, it was her. And as the world swept passed her in slow motion, the girl couldn't quite tell whether she had realized all this before or after she had made her decision to run.

It seemed like an instinctual response, her body moving to prevent risk to a comrade while also knowing that it could indeed handle it. The realizations seemed to go hand-in-hand. A part of her was actually more concerned about having to hold the slobbering beast than for escaping the crushing force of the boulder.

Her feet skated to a halt one second before she bounded away from the rumbling rock – in time to sweep Akamaru into her arms and regain her momentum before the boulder gained too much space between them.

The gap left to her was not a comfortable one, and her body fought to increase its pace. She needed more room. Her starving lungs burned from the constant uptake of air blowing through her windpipe. Her muscles were fire on her bones. But it was well-worth the pain, because she was winning distance.

"You've got to jump over this chasm," called Sasuke, his voice echoing as he leapt over an expanse of blackness.

The kunoichi watched as each genin hurdled over the gorge, gauging the width. Did she have it in her to make such a jump after all this? She accumulated her fleeting chakra to her feet, readying herself. The other Leaf ninja had just scaled the rift, and her turn was swiftly approaching.

The pinkette grunted with effort as she vaulted across the cliff.

It was a reach but she just about made it across, her feet buckling on contact as she tumbled on the cave-floor. She tucked Akamaru safely to her chest as they glided to a stop. Her body heaved and huffed erratically as she lay on her side. She released the animal, and the dog circled back to lick her cheek in thanks. She winced but lacked the energy to jerk away from the creature.

"Sakura-chan, you're alive!"

"Yeah," she panted, "no problem."

Sasuke grabbed her arm as she staggered to her feet. His face was hard when his eyes met hers, but there was a glimmer of relief within them. She smiled weakly and his features softened, though she could tell he was still upset with her behavior.

"You saved him," said Kiba, awed but happy to have Akamaru safe in his arms. "But, well I thought you didn't like dogs."

"He's your friend," she answered simply, her breathing rate gradually steadying. "Besides, you would have endangered yourself greatly going after him. I'm a fast runner. There was far less risk for me." Her eyes strayed to the dog, wagging his tail in his owner's arms.

"And it's not that I don't _like_ dogs," she added later. "I'm just...a little afraid of them. To be honest."

The puppy barked in protest, his jaw hanging open in the canine equivalent of a grin. Sakura cringed away from it.

"Well maybe as thanks me and Akamaru can help change that," said Kiba. "Thank you again."

"I trust everyone has caught their breaths by now," stated Neji.

"Give her one more minute, why don'tcha?" suggested Naruto, sparing his teammate an apprehensive glance. "Sure everyone else seems fine, but can't you see Sakura-chan's still tired?"

"I'm all right," asserted the pinkette, forcing every ounce of fatigue out of her voice. "The sooner we start moving the better. Neji-san is just trying to get us all out safely."

The Hyuga's eyes met Sakura's. He nodded to her acknowledgingly and she returned it. Maybe these genin weren't so awful after all.

"We are almost at the exit," announced Lee, as the Leaf shinobi continued through the cave. There was a shimmer of natural light ahead, and their surroundings gradually flooded with light as they approached.

"Tread carefully, everyone," cautioned Neji. "I sense a powerful opponent at the mouth of the cave."

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she tried to see their latest opponent. He had an average-sized silhouette but she could not make out the strange metallic armor he adorned until they got closer.

"We've got to fight smart here, guys," said Shikamaru. "Up until now, we've only met up with the lackeys. If this person is the last obstacle in our way, he must be really strong. And we have absolutely no clue what he's capable of."

"Not to mention," added Shino, "we have a limited supply of chakra. We can't afford to waste it on getting to know the enemy."

"Then we won't," said Sakura. "I think we should send a small group to defeat him. We can conserve chakra that way. And if they fail, then at the very least the rest of us will have some idea of how to fight him."

"I concur," said Neji. "Now the question remains of whom to send."

Sasuke stepped forward. "I'll go," he asserted. "I can analyze this guy with my Sharingan."

"You're still going to need partners, Uchiha."

"Fight with Kiba and Lee," suggested Sakura. "Their quick reflexes will help them keep up with anything. I think they're a pretty good match for you too."

The raven-haired boy smirked. "I really don't think I need anyone's help but whatever. I'll take your word for it, Sakura. Definitely a lot more than anything _he _suggests." Sasuke and Neji exchanged glares.

Sakura sighed. "Kiba-san? Lee-san? Do you object to any of this?"

Lee saluted. "My vote is in the affirmative, Sakura-san."

"And I say bring'em on. Right, Akamaru?" Enthusiastic barking followed.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan and charged ahead, Lee and Kiba at his flanks. The boys fought predominantly with taijutsu, testing the enemy waters as they backed each other up.

Sasuke and Lee alternated in full frontal attacks while Kiba searched for vulnerable openings to strike swiftly. It was a balance which took some time for them to hit, but even when they did their attacks seemed to do hardly any damage. The enemy was not fazed by any punch or kick.

"The armor," breathed Sasuke, "there's something unusual about it."

"I suspected as much," commented Lee. "I have done much training, but never before has my body sustained so much damage while inflicting so little on my opponent."

"Me and Akamaru are feelin' pretty sore ourselves. Can't you tell what's goin' on, Sasuke?" asked Kiba.

"We'll have to fight him a little longer before I can figure that out. And if taijutsu doesn't seem to be working, how about I try ninjutsu. Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

A giant fireball erupted from Sasuke's mouth, colliding into the enemy ninja's chest. His body was engulfed in swirls of orange, but when the flames subsided the rogue stood pristinely in place, with not so much as a singed eyebrow.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. _Impossible. That was a direct blow, and yet he's standing there as if he was just hit by a summer breeze. It's that armor of his. Through the flames, I could see it all so clearly. It's... _

The Uchiha collapsed to his knees, heaving slowly. _Darn it. I used too much chakra._

"Sasuke, watch out!"

The armored ninja bolted toward the fallen genin, his hand now brandishing a longsword. It was clear what his objective was.

"Oh no you don't." A blur of green flickered before Sasuke before their foe was sent sailing into the air. Lee instantaneously appeared behind the hovering ninja, ensnaring his opponent in bandages. He then performed a spinning pile-drive to the ground. "Primary Lotus!"

The dark-haired genin held his knees, panting near the enemy ninja lodged face-first into the floor. "This will not hold him long," he huffed. "If we are to make a finishing move, we must act quickly."

"What did you find out, Sasuke? How does the armor work?"

"That armor is definitely special. It absorbs chakra, which is why not one of our moves is causing any real damage. What's worse is it also seems to reflect a fraction of the energy at his opponent. That's why we're so bruised up, even though _we_ were the ones doing all the attacking."

"Then how do we defeat the armor?" questioned Lee.

"Who says we have to defeat it?" Kiba fed a black pill to his dog. "Our goal is to escape not pulverize the enemy, however fun that really sounds. Let Akamaru and I get this guy out of the way for 'ya. Ninja Art: Beast Mimicry."

The genin released an animalistic growl, dropping on all fours. Akamaru, whose fur had transfigured into a burnt red, landed atop his owner's back. "Man Beast Clone."

The ferocious dog disappeared to reveal an equally vicious copy of Kiba. The two beastly boys raced toward their opponent, their bodies rotating as they passed. "Man-Beast Ultimate Taijutsu: Fang Over Fang!"

The pair of ninja spun into twin tempests of destruction, brutally tunneling through the armored ninja with unrelenting fury. Rocks and debris scattered around Lee and Sasuke as claws attempted to tear through armor and everything else they collided into.

A long metallic shard discharged from the intense impact, lodging into Sasuke's left shoulder. The boy cringed, holding his injury without faltering, his eyes unmoving from the fierce duo. Their force finally won over the repelling might of the armor, propelling their foe out of the cave exit as he soared into the forest.

Kiba and Akamaru returned to normal, their bodies spent. Kiba's fingertips were drenched in his own blood, the product of claw harshly meeting obstinate metal. He turned to greet the waiting genin with a weary grin.

"The way's...clear now..."

The boy and his dog crumbled to the earth, their bodies stretched lifelessly across the gorund. The other genin were at their sides within seconds, Hinata and Shino kneeling to examine them.

"They appear to be all right, or alive at least," said Shino. "He put all his chakra into that attack so we could escape."

"Oh, Kiba," whispered Hinata. "They-they'll be fine, w-won't they?"

"I'm sure it's just exhaustion," offered Tenten, placing an arm on the worried girl's shoulder. "If you only knew how many times I've found Lee sprawled out on the floor from overworking his body." The girl threw her teammate a purposeful glance, the boy smiling sheepishly in response.

"We must waste no time in continuing on," reminded Neji.

"Yeah, but we're definitely not leaving them behind," said Chouji adamantly. He swung Kiba and his canine partner onto his back. "I'll carry them from here on out."

"Sasuke, your injury," said Sakura, approaching her teammate's wound. "We have to get that shard out of you."

"No time," he answered. "You heard him, we have to move quickly. I can take care of this later."

Sakura turned to Naruto but the blonde shrugged, earning a sigh from her. _Of course he wouldn't fight with me to get Sasuke to take care of himself. Naruto would just do the same thing._

The Konoha Twelve bounded out of the cave and into the forest, moving as swiftly as their tired bodies would permit.

"Anyone got a clue where exactly we're going?" asked Naruto.

"I had been relying on Kiba's sense of smell to guide us home," said Neji. "But now that he is incapacitated, I have been forced to use a cruder method." The Hyuga procured a compass, sparing it a glance before adjusting the group's course.

"How will a compass help if we do not even know where we are?"

"That is why I said this was crude, Lee. I am operating under the assumption that we have been held in close proximity to the fake point on the map – that location was north-east of the Hidden Leaf. It is my hope that if we continue south, we will eventually get our bearings right."

"In the meantime," added Shino, "I have released a set of my insects to find Kurenai-sensei and lead her to us. I am sure our senseis must be looking for us by now."

"Your bugs can find people?" squirmed Ino. "That's...kinda creepy."

"They can only find individuals on whom I've planted a female beetle. I placed one such insect on Kurenai-sensei last night. Why you may ask? Because I had hoped it would assist us in detecting her during the training mission today."

"That's so wickedly sneaky," said Chouji. "Hopefully the jounin find us soon."

"But until then, we just gotta keep moving," said Shikamaru. "What a drag this day's been. And now we're about to run through an open field. Sheesh."

"What's so bad about getting some fresh air?" asked Naruto as they all descended from the trees and raced across the grassland.

"You really don't have a clue, do you?" sighed Shikamaru.

"Open areas are a perfect point to get ambushed, Naruto" explained Sakura. "They lack the tree-cover of moving through a forest."

"Uh, oh. Yeah yeah, I knew that. Believe it, I did-"

A beam of chakra exploded through the area just before the ninja, blowing them backwards and stopping them in their tracks.

"W-What on earth was that?" gasped Ino, the other genin rising from the ground.

"That, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call an ambush. What a drag."

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -


	10. The Sacrifice

******Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**********RE-WRITE: 3/15/12**

* * *

_**The Sacrifice**_

Five armored ninja stood before the platoon of Leaf genin. Sakura recognized one of the enemies from the cave exit – it was the ninja Kiba had thrown into the forest. Given that and the similar armor they were all sporting, it was clear what their joint objective was.

Four of their opponents scattered to different corners of the field, creating a boxed perimeter with the genin inside. The rogues then began performing hand signs, chanting as they progressed. They held the last seal.

"Ninja Art: Impenetrable Armored Barrier!"

Walls of glass materialized around them, with each rogue acting as a corner for the rectangle that trapped the Leaf ninja.

"A barrier," observed Shino. "I suspect their strategy is to prevent us from escaping while the ninja remaining," – the insect-user pointed to the man with massive metallic claws – "incapacitates us."

"Barriers are simple enough to destroy though," said Tenten. "You just have to force one of the four ninja out of position."

Chouji rested Kiba's and Akamaru's unconscious bodies gently to the ground. "That seems easier said than done."

"Indeed. Their armor will complicate matters," stated Neji. "With our attacks having hardly any impact, moving them out of place will be quite difficult."

"So then, well what's the plan?" asked Ino, her eyes roaming over the genin. "Are we just trapped in here while a crazy guy tries to turn us into mince meat?"

The rogue launched at the genin, his razor-like gloves leading his charge.

"Tenten, Naruto, come with me," said Neji. "We shall occupy the enemy while the rest of you devise a plan."

While the three young ninja were locked in combat, their comrades ruminated over their situation. Their faces were stony, recognizing how bleak their situation was.

"Let me help with that," offered Sakura, pressing her hand against Sasuke's injury.

The dagger of metal which Kiba dislodged from the enemy's armor was still deeply rooted in the Uchiha's shoulder. She gently glided it out of his body, compressing the wound with gauze as she worked.

"Thanks," breathed Sasuke, suppressing the throbbing pain in his chest. "But we've got more important worries to deal with here."

"I know," she said gravely.

She bandaged the gash and was now eying the chip of armor in her hands. There was no glint in the blood-stained shard under the dim, cloudy sky. If they only knew how to counteract this strange invention, they at least stood a fighting chance of holding off these unknown enemies until Shino's insects found their senseis. This hunk of scrap metal was the epicenter of their disaster.

"Sasuke, could you tell me anything about how their armor works?"

"It's like I said before," answered Sasuke, "it absorbs chakra and repels a fraction of it."

"So there's a transformation of energy going on," interpreted Sakura. "But did you see anything that would explain _how_ it happens?"

The boy paused pensively, his mind's eye replaying the events of the fight as seen through his Sharingan. "Vibration. I remember seeing minute, incredibly rapid vibrations as our attacks impacted. I can only assume that's how it's done."

"Vibration," repeated Sakura.

She had read enough rudimentary chemistry books on rainy days in the library to understand the role of vibration in energy transformations. _What Sasuke was seeing must represent large-scale vibrations throughout the armor on a molecular level. I'm guessing that's how the metal absorbs and converts the energy. But every set of energy transformations must have its limits._

The girl's eyes strayed to the battle taking place before her, her fellow shinobi using their kunai to fight for dear life against the lethal slashes of their opponent's armored claws.

_If there was a way to continuously administer energy into the metal for a prolonged period, I think it would be enough to disrupt the balance of energy conversion and overwhelm the system. The fact that Kiba's continuous Fang Over Fang was enough to break off the armor proves that. The problem is, none of us has the chakra to sustain an attack of that magnitude._

Her hand tightened over the shard of metal, loosening only after a numbing sensation reached her fingers.

Her eyes lingered on the red-tainted plate. _I wonder..._

"Fall back!"

Neji, Tenten and Naruto regrouped beside their comrades, huffing from exertion.

"What is with this guy?" spat Tenten in frustration. "Nothing we do even fazes him."

"Like hell I'm gonna let someone like him beat me, believe it," exclaimed Naruto. "Shadow Clone jutsu!"

The clawed rogue continued advancing, having little trouble exterminating the blonde's three clones.

"I guess this is as good a time to try it as any."

Sakura took aim at one of the ninja sealing the barrier, the one Kiba had attacked. With a flick of her wrist, she launched the metal shard at her foe, the blade directed squarely into the man's helmet.

Armor clashed with armor, and an electrical surge surrounded the ninja. His image appeared distorted as the air became superheated. The barrier disintegrated as the man clutched at his aching cranium, his scream piercing the genin. The cry was soon overshadowed by an explosion of smoke, and the ninja collapsed to the ground.

Sakura's lips parted in awe, not anticipating her attack to have such a pronounced effect.

"Sakura-chan," gaped Naruto, "what just...I mean, don't tell me you...did you just figure out how to beat them?"

The kunoichi blinked at the group of ninja staring after her.

"I..." Her blank expression shifted to frantic. "Wait, you don't think he's dead do you? I-I didn't want to kill him. I just, I didn't think it would work so-"

"_They're_ trying to hurt _us_," asserted Sasuke. "You didn't do anything wrong." His assuring onyx orbs met her emerald ones, relieving her of some of her guilt. Though her heart still felt heavy.

"You must tell us what you discovered," insisted Shino, returning her attention to the situation at hand.

"R-Right, well the key to defeating them is to use their armor against them, literally. When the armors collide with enough force, the energies keep going into one and coming out the other, causing them to continuously vibrate at very high speeds. That generates a lot of heat, e-enough to cause a huge explosion...like what we just saw."

"So in order to defeat them," interpreted Neji, "we must slam them into each other."

"Yes," answered Sakura, though her expression had not lightened.

"Well if forcing two people together is our goal," started Ino, "then mine 'n Shikamaru's jutsu seem like the safest bet we've got."

"There's just one problem with that," said Shikamaru. "Look how dark it is 'cause of all these clouds. There aren't any decent shadows being cast so my jutsu will be useless. That's such a drag."

The blonde girl rolled her eyes. "Are you just seriously gonna give up at the first complication? Use your head and work something out, for goodness sake."

"You really get on my nerves sometimes," sighed Shikamaru. "What a troublesome woman."

Sakura shook her head. The dynamics of Team 10 were not to be understood by mere mortals. Or maybe the problem was just Ino. Sakura sympathized for the two boys.

"Figure out a way to perform your Shadow Possession jutsu, Shikamaru," said Neji. "Meanwhile, we must split up and defend against these opponents."

"How are we separating?" asked Tenten.

Before Neji could reply, the smallest ninja of the four darted toward the group. Unlike his allies, his armor was sleek and thin. Watching him flicker toward them, it was easy to estimate why light-weight armor suited him.

Lee shot ahead before the ninja could near the group, countering the foe's speedy taijutsu with his own.

Another ninja dashed to the side, performing hand signs. Before long, the plain erupted in copies of the man, the army charging toward them.

"Guess it's clear who this one belongs to," said Naruto, grinning. "Shadow Clone justu!" Naruto's clones matched the enemy's in number, with the two forces clashing on the battlefield.

The clawed ninja approached next, Sasuke racing to meet him with his kunai in hand. _Like I'd let Naruto get all the action. Humph._

Sakura moved with her teammates instinctively, unable to remain a bystander now that her only friends had entered the fight. She decided occupying the fourth and final ninja was a worthwhile endeavor.

Her opponent was rather burly, and she sensed a huge reservoir of chakra within him. What was _his _special power, she wondered. She vaguely remembered the beam of chakra which had struck the field to stop them in the first place. Noting the cannons strapped to the rogue's arms, she now suspected that he had been the one to fire them. She was conscious of this as she advanced, confident she would be the best person to dodge these destructive waves of energy should he use them.

* * *

"We must move quickly to back them up," asserted Neji, observing the fray with the remaining genin. "Shikamaru, can you perform your jutsu or not?"

"I've got an idea of how," he said pensively. "But it'll all depend on how much chakra Sasuke's got left."

"Go to him then, and relay your plan."

Shikamaru nodded. "Ino, make sure you're ready with your jutsu when you see fire. Got it?"

"Right."

The Nara disappeared to assist the Sharingan-user. Tenten began leaving the group as well.

"I'm heading out too, Neji," said Tenten. "I'm going to collect some of the blown up scraps of armor. Maybe I can use them to make some kind of weapon or something."

"Go," was all he responded.

"Judging from the way the fight is going," assessed Shino, "I think the ninja with the clones should be one of our first targets. He appears to be quite the handful."

"Agreed," said Neji. "Ino, I want you to back Naruto up against his opponent with me. I shall use my Byakugan to discover the clones' creator so you may move into position to use your Mind Transfer jutsu."

"I'm going to need Chouji too," said the blonde. "He has to hold him down for me so my jutsu doesn't miss."

"Very well. Shino, fight alongside Lee. Hinata-sama will work with Sakura. Let us move quickly."

* * *

Neji's Byakugan was able to discover the real clone-maker with ease. He directed Chouji to the man, and the Akimichi slammed the rogue into the earth with his expanded hands. While Naruto and his shadow clones continued to stall the enemy copies, Ino began her jutsu.

"Ninja Art: Mind Transfer jutsu."

The ninja that had just been struggling to his feet slumped abruptly to the ground. Ino's body mirrored his actions.

The rogue rose shortly after. "Mind Transfer Jutsu complete. Now where on earth is Shika-"

A blast of fire interrupted her. The ball remained in place briefly, continuously fed by Sasuke. Before long, the flame began to move toward Ino and her group, with Sasuke, Shikamaru and the clawed ninja in tow.

Ino, now in control of her enemy's body, raced toward Shikamaru's opponent, who was now linked to the Shadow Possession jutsu. The blonde flung the man's body toward the other rogue, releasing her jutsu in the process.

The clone-maker and the clawed ninja crashed into each other, the resulting explosion repelling the nearby genin. They were frazzled, but otherwise uninjured.

"That was a total stroke of genius, Shikamaru," exclaimed Ino, now back in her original body. "I mean, using Sasuke-kun's fireball to cast shadows so you could control that ninja? Absolute genius!"

"I'm glad you find that so exciting," said Shikamaru. "Now why don't you use all that enthusiasm and help me up, will 'ya? I'm exhausted. Not to mention there's this nice little gash on my side from that ninja. What a drag."

Ino motioned to help her teammate, supporting him as they walked to home base where Kiba and Akamaru lay. She rolled her eyes. "Only you can turn victory into something so sour."

Naruto and Sasuke sluggishly made their way to the safe area as well, supported by the last genin they would ever ask for help from.

Neji's narrowed eyes darted from one ninja beside him to the other, finding no amusement in their stony expressions. "This hardly makes us friends."

Naruto and Sasuke grunted.

"No way," gritted the blonde.

"It's actually making me hate you more, honestly."

* * *

Sakura dove to the ground yet again, dodging a blast of chakra from her opponent. She had been grateful for Hinata's arrival to assist her. The Hyuga was able to detect when the ninja briefly accumulated chakra before the next attack. It was not a drastic gap of time, but was helpful enough to aid in just barely escaping some potentially fatal blows.

"I-I'm not sure how long I can continue," gasped Hinata. "I'm s-so exhausted."

"We have to keep moving, Hinata-san," urged Sakura.

The kunoichi shoved the panting girl aside as she pounced in the other direction, the two splitting before another discharge of chakra could strike them.

_This is bad,_ thought Sakura, watching Hinata struggle to her feet. _Her body doesn't look like it can take much more of this._

A large explosion stole her attention, but she returned her focus to the battle quickly. _They must have managed to defeat someone. Good. Maybe now we can get some reinforcements._

Sakura bounded to miss another beam, using a back handspring to gain some distance. The cannon-wielder turned to Hinata next, who was still staggering to her feet.

"Hinata-san! Look out!"

The pinkette was too far away to help her, but she raced forward anyway. The Hyuga still hadn't regained her breath. She couldn't react. Sakura had to reach her in time.

A flash of green beat her to it, the figure thrusting the weakened girl aside before the blast could connect. Her savior, however, was not so fortunate.

The chakra beam crashed into Lee's side, torpedoing his body along the meadow until it collided into a tree. The boy gasped for air, clawing at the dirt as he fought to rise to his knees. He only collapsed forward.

Sakura continued racing to her opponent at full speed, launching herself into a full body kick. Her feet met the ninja's armored chest, but her body was repelled back. Despite the force of her blow, the man had not even fallen over.

"Hinata-san," called Sakura, "you have to get out of here."

The cannon-wielder aimed his weapon at the pinkette, grinning widely as he charged his attack. Before it could fire, a human-sized fist slammed into the ninja, propelling him several feet away.

Chouji collapsed to his knees, huffing. "You okay, Sakura?"

The candy-haired girl smiled. "Yes. Thanks to you, Chouji-san."

"All right, you lovebirds," called Ino from their rest area. "We gotta regroup so get over here already."

The boy's cheeks burned as he walked toward his teammate without another word. Sakura screwed her lips together, visibly annoyed. The teasing and pestering never seemed to end with this girl. Sakura had imagined her dislike of the blonde couldn't possibly worsen after teaming up with her. But actually, as she got to know her...

"Oh no, Lee!"

Tenten's cry snapped Sakura into the situation at hand. She hustled to the group, a defeated Hinata beside her.

The genin looked worse for wear. His entire right sleeve was ripped apart, revealing a layer of burnt flesh caked in blood. Tenten busied herself over him, disinfecting and wrapping his injury as best she could.

Lee swept a trail of blood from his mouth, attempting to sit up. "Do not worry," he grinned weakly. "I am totally-"

"_Don't_ say you're fine," snapped Tenten. "You're benched for the rest of the fight, got it? Sheesh, you never do know when to quit do you?" The girl only shook her head as her teammate smiled sheepishly at her.

"We still got two more ninja to deal with," reminded Shikamaru, a coating of bandages visible on his side where he had been previously struck.

"Tenten," asked Neji, "were you able to fashion a weapon from the scraps of armor?"

"Sort of," she answered, rising from her position beside Lee to retrieve something. She held a large shuriken, with shards of silver metal fastened at its ends. "It's a lot sturdier than it looks. Firing this into one of the enemies with enough force should do the trick, I think."

"We'll have to be careful with how we proceed next," said Neji. "There aren't that many of us left able to fight. By my count, only Chouji, Shino, Sakura, Tenten and I can adequately handle more combat. We'll split into two teams, with Shino and-"

"What about Hinata-san?"

Neji took in Sakura's questioning look. His gaze pierced Hinata before returning to the pinkette. "Hinata-sama cannot continue."

"I believe she can. She was just out-of-breath before, but she's got quite a bit of chakra left and we could use that."

"She will only be a liability in battle."

"I disagree. I wouldn't have lasted as long as I did without her. She was a real help out there."

"Before or after she got Lee blasted by a ray of chakra?" Neji's tone was icy, his eyes narrowing at the kunoichi.

The girl stared at him, her eyes empty of hostility. "You need to give people a little faith sometimes."

"War has no room for faith, or emotional weaknesses. Even to family."

"Enough enough," said Shikamaru.

Sakura stepped away from the Hyuga, her gaze falling on Hinata instead. The girl had her eyes to the ground, unable to face anyone right now.

"We're supposed to be working together here," continued the Nara. "Now, we gotta pick which of those ninja will be gettin' hit by Tenten's shuriken."

"There is no need to decide that," answered Shino, alerting their attention to the two rogues. "That decision has already been made for us."

The taijutsu master with the small-frame was beating against his armor, his eyes frantic. He gasped and yelled, finally rolling along the floor in panic. The genin were clueless as to what had suddenly plagued this ninja. It seemed even his comrade did not know what to make it.

A steady stream of black bathed the outer portions of his armor now. It was hundreds, thousands, of dark beetles.

"That's right," said the insect-user. "While I was backing Lee up against this guy, I was able to plant a female beetle on him. It was child's play for the rest of my insects to infiltrate the crevices of his suit after that. They've completely drained him of chakra now. And what's more, now all his chakra is mine."

"Excellent work," exclaimed Tenten.

"We must all attack the last ninja," said Neji. "Tenten, look for an opening while we distract him and use the shuriken."

The five Leaf shinobi stood to face their foe, Shino's insects fleeing from their latest victim to return to their host for further instruction.

"So those bugs drained my pal's chakra, ay?" observed the cannon-wielder. "Well that's stolen energy, so I hope you don't mind if I steal it back." The man raised his hands, the guns humming to life.

"What's he doing?" asked Chouji, bracing himself.

The cannon churned louder, creating a vortex of wind suctioning the air. The insects fell in its direct path, and the entire swarm was swept inside the buzzing machine. The device adopted the blue glow of concentrated chakra.

"He's completely obliterated my insects," gasped Shino. "And that machine is extracting every ounce of chakra they've sapped."

Tenten swallowed hard. "Are you telling me he's got double the supply of chakra now? I have to hit him with this right now-"

"Don't, Tenten," commanded Neji. "We have no idea what he's capable of now. We cannot afford to waste this shot."

The cannon whirred louder and louder, concentrating a blast of energy far greater than what they had felt thus far. The man took aim as his device churned, his sights set on wiping out the entire group of genin.

"We have to get out of here now!" yelled Ino.

Sakura bit her lip, her eyes whirling at her comrades around her. They had seconds to act, to possibly escape. But not everyone could manage that. There was Lee and Kiba, incapacitated on the floor. And then Naruto, Sasuke and Shikamaru, far too spent of chakra to heave their bodies fast enough.

The other option was to stop the cannon altogether. Or perhaps just the beam itself.

It was a blast of heat, a coagulation of energy released all at once. Physical objects crumbled against it. Flesh would burn. But what about chakra? Chakra could stop chakra, right? Energy counteracting energy. Enough of it focused in one area should do the trick to stopping the beam in its tracks, shouldn't it?

Sakura had no time to second guess this theory.

The kunoichi bounded forward, in line with their foe. She has low on chakra, though she hardly used any after their escape. As the girl concentrated every ounce of it she had into her palms, she prayed it would be adequate.

The blast of white slammed into her opened hands, her entire body pushing against the beam to hold her ground.

First there was just pressure, pressure and the sapping of her strength as she channeled energy to counter the beam. Soon after that, the pain came. It was like hot coals against her sensitive palms, scalding through her flesh. As much energy as she managed to scramble into her hands, it still burned.

She wanted to let go, she wanted to get out of the way. She gritted her teeth, the images of Naruto, Sasuke and even Kiba, Lee and Shikamaru coming to mind, holding her resolve.

She couldn't register anything that was happening around her, only the wave of chakra and the funnel of wind blasting her face. The pain in her arms was growing worse now; she could feel it traveling up her arms, growing deeper. The pungent scent of her burnt flesh caused her eyes to tear. Or perhaps it was just because of the agony whipping through her. She knew no sensation in her hands but pain. She couldn't even be certain she was still focusing chakra at this point.

The light before her disappeared abruptly, a deafening explosion following.

Her body dropped to the floor, curling on her side. Her bloodied hands were shaking, her face hot against the cool grass as she whimpered. Her drowning eyes were half-lidded, blurs of color the only thing she could make out.

There were yells, and questions and exclamations, but she couldn't make sense of any of it. The phrases were condensed soup on her ears.

"Shuriken worked what must her hands how we must senseis Leaf Village right away..."

Her world was engulfed in black, as she welcomed the painless shroud of unconsciousness.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -


	11. Recovery

******Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**********RE-WRITE: 3/15/12**

* * *

_**Recovery**_

The girl was seated on a cot, the smell of antiseptic invading her nostrils as she looked out the window of her room. Not even the sparkling rays of gold spilling into the room could brighten her mood.

She had awakened to this white room, to this foreign bed. From her first moments of consciousness, Sakura knew she was in Konoha hospital. That meant the other genin had managed to get them to the Hidden Leaf. The nurse that had checked in on Sakura was able to paint the gaps in between.

"_Apparently the four jounin-senseis were able to make it to your group soon after you collapsed. They were able to bring you here, and the other two boys as well. _

_Your condition was by far the worst of the bunch – blood loss, third degree burns, fractured ulna, and the bones in your fingers were just about shattered. How on earth did you get yourself into such a mess, my dear? It truly is a crying shame for children your age to be endangered this way..."_

Her emerald irises drifted to her hands, both encased in a cast from her fingertips to her elbows.

_Third degree burns,_ she thought as she sat in silence. _That means permanent scarring. And with my finger bones broken, who knows if they'll ever fully recover. Will I still be able to perform hand signs? Grip a kunai? Aim shuriken? And then there's that other thing the nurse said..._

"_We won't know if the blast impaired your ability to mold chakra until after your hands physically heal."_

A defeated breath escaped her lips. Were her ninja days over for good?

"Sakura-chan!"

A blonde ninja bounded through the door, jumping ecstatically. "You're awake. You're finally awake. The nurses just told us."

Sasuke also entered, not as hyper as Naruto, but equally relieved to see his teammate conscious. She spared them a weak smile.

"How are you feeling?" asked Naruto.

"My hands hurt, even with the medication. But I guess that's to be expected in the beginning huh?"

"Yeah. Those casts are pretty huge though. I can't imagine walkin' around in them."

Her face froze, eyes falling to her lap. Another thing she had to look forward to on her road to almost-recovery – wobbly walk. Nice.

"Sasuke-kuuuuuun, where'd you run off to so fast?"

Sakura's gaze shifted to the door. She recognized that high-pitched, irritating squeal anywhere. Her eyes moved just in time to catch the blonde kunoichi leaping into the room, her arms ensnaring Sasuke in her wake.

"You didn't even give me a chance to finish telling you how absolutely amazing you were on our training mission," she purred.

The girl's face was relaxed and contorted at the same time as she swooned over the boy. She looked like she could just about faint at any moment. The Uchiha on the other hand was eying the girl clinging to his back with even more disdain than he used on Naruto – and that said a lot.

"Plus you promised you'd take me in to see Sakura, to see how she's doi-...oh, Sakura!" The blonde hopped of the boy's back, beaming at the pinkette. "Hey, it's so great seeing you up. How are you feeling?"

Sakura watched the blonde curiously. Her concern seemed genuine, however unnaturally rapid it had been brought on. "I-I'm doing okay, I guess..."

"Geez, you're so annoying, Ino," exasperated Naruto, arms folded as he screwed his lips together in disgust. "What makes you think anyone in this room even wants 'ya here?"

The Yamanaka only pointed her tongue at him. She didn't seem like the type to take on most of what Naruto said – not a rare breed.

"I almost forgot," she continued, her tone still like sugar. "I brought in these flowers from my mother's flower shop." The kunoichi procured a small bouquet and placed it inside the empty vase on Sakura's bedside table. "A small thanks for everything you did for us. Thought it would put some pizzazz in the décor too. And if you need anything at all, please let me know, all right?"

Ino radiated such warmth in her smile, making Sakura's suspicions inflate even further. She nodded and turned away from her.

It was clear as day to her now, why Ino always tried to be so overly nice to her. The blonde had a mountainous crush on her teammate. Of course winning Sakura over was a given to getting the Uchiha. That realization made Ino so much worse in Sakura's eyes.

"It looks like Sakura's awake now too. Hey everyone, she's in here."

Tenten sauntered into the room, cheerful as always. The rest of her team followed in with her, along with the members of Team 8.

"We all just came in to see Lee and Kiba when we decided to check in on you," continued the brunette. "Are you feeling better, Sakura?"

"Yes, my precious flower," professed Lee, edging toward her, his arm in a sling. "Please tell me your youth has allowed you to rise from the ashes of your selfless sacrifice during our mission."

The girl in question gaped at the mob of genin which had now commandeered her hospital room. How many times today would she be forced to lie about how good she was feeling? She wanted all of them – Naruto and Sasuke included – out of her sanctum. Yes, she was comforted to have it confirmed before her eyes that Lee and Kiba were well. But was it a crime to want to sulk in peace?

"Sure, um, I'm better."

"A-Are you in a-a lot of p-pain?"

Sakura faced the timid gaze of Hinata, the girl twiddling her fingers as she waited.

"Nah, you guys should stop worrying," announced Naruto. "Sakura-chan here is hopped up on so much drugs right now, I'm sure she's feeling awesome!"

If Sakura could press against her temple she would, opting to just sigh and shake her head instead.

"My my, your moving crew came early, Sakura-san."

The attending medic – a tall, gawky-looking young man – strode into the room. He went immediately to the machines monitoring his patient, checking her chart and vital signs.

"Don't worry, I won't report this overcrowded room of visitors," he said with a grin. "You're in for a rough healing session this afternoon, so take it as a gift."

"Excuse me, mister," said Naruto, "but what did you mean about moving? Is Sakura-chan going somewhere?"

"Well not right away." The man finished his work and turned to address the room. "We'll heal her wounds as much as possible here. But I'm no Tsunade-hime – she's going to need quite a bit of rehabilitation before she can get back to as close to normal as her injuries will allow. Now I really must get going. See you this afternoon, Sakura-san."

"Wait, what did this guy mean by all that?" asked Naruto, as the medic left the room. "Rehabilitation? And returning _close _to normal?"

"I-It's like he said," answered Sakura, emptying her voice of the frustration that threatened to spill from her. "They'll heal me as much as they can, and then I'll stay at another institution until my casts come off. After that, they can assess what functionality my hands can recover...a-and what I've lost permanently."

"Will they be able to get 'ya fixed up before the chuunin exams?"

Sakura winced at her teammate's query. She hadn't even considered that part.

"The question will more likely be whether she can get 'fixed up' period." Only Neji could state something so frank.

Sakura's eyes met his, and for once they communicated no hostility toward her. He looked almost sorrowful.

"Hey guys. Woah, there's a lot of people in here."

Shikamaru and Chouji appeared through the doorway, the plump ninja carrying a basket under his arms.

"I brought you some of my Mom's homemade muffins, Sakura," said Chouji, resting the goodies on the table. "It's a special family recipe. These are fortified with loads of protein 'n calcium. You'll heal up in no time."

"What a heartfelt gesture," remarked Ino. "Two points for lover-boy." The girl nudged her blushing teammate with her elbow teasingly.

Sakura exasperated, turning away. She was not in the mood for more of Ino's antics.

"So...between now and when rehab actually starts," started Kiba, "you're gonna be at another facility right? I wanna be able to visit – oh, and I promise I won't bring Akamaru."

Sakura spared the boy a smile, grateful for his thoughtfulness. She silently hoped it was a false promise though. All she wanted was to be _alone_.

"Wait, that doesn't make any sense at all," chimed Ino. "Why can't you just recover at home after you're discharged from the hospital?"

"I can't exactly take care of myself anymore, can I?" The pinkette raised her casted arms pointedly. It was difficult not to sound bitter. "I can't even feed myself, let alone do anything else."

"But that's what parents are for. Why don't they want to help you out with it?"

"I don't know, maybe because neither of them happens to be alive."

Sakura was visibly frustrated now, feeling almost guilty for snapping at the girl but only almost. These people needed to get a clue. Brooding over her situation was bad enough, but having to spell it out for someone else – let alone a room full of people – was just cruel.

"I-I'm sorry," huffed the pink-haired girl, bowing to the group of silent ninja. "It was rude of me to snap like that."

"It's okay to be pissed off, 'ya know." Kiba's voice earned her attention, a small grin decorating his face. "You don't need to apologize for being angry, especially to your friends. Your situation sucks so just let it out already. Then you can focus on getting better."

The way this boy was talking, it was almost like what these genin were doing – cementing themselves in her room – was obvious. Had she really missed the whole point?

"Sakura-san," continued Lee, "with your determination and will, I have no doubt you will make a full recovery. Hard work is all a ninja needs to overcome any obstacle."

"Believe it," agreed Naruto. "There's no question you'll be a ninja again. And you'll get to compete in the chuunin exams with us too. You've got a whole four weeks to get back on your feet. And I know you won't disappoint, believe it."

Tenten nodded. "Don't lose heart. We'll help you get through this too."

"Yup," said Naruto, grinning widely, "anything to get the healing process goin'. I'll feed you myself if I have to."

"U-Uh, or me!" exclaimed Lee, raising his uninjured hand. "I too shall gladly supply your body with all the nutrition it needs, my flower."

"Hey hey hey, _I_ offered first."

"But _I _am more diligent and youthful."

"Well _I'm_ her teammate."

"She is mine as well. Member of the Konoha Twelve, as you would recall."

Sakura shook her head, a tired smile in place, though for once that day she didn't have to force it so hard. "Thank you, everyone. Truly." She bowed her head.

"Sheesh. You're way too polite," teased Kiba.

"We shall leave you to your recovery," said Shino as the group made their way out the door.

"Get well soon, Sakura!" asserted Ino.

"Naruto," said Sasuke, hanging back, "you should find Kakashi-sensei and tell him Sakura's awake. He's been asking about her too, remember?"

"Right," saluted Naruto, bolting out the door.

Now there was only Sasuke left.

Sakura exhaled in relief. She finally got her peace and quiet. And although she was happy for it, the girl couldn't help but acknowledge that her heart felt just a little lighter after having been bombarded by the enthusiastic Leaf ninja. Kiba had called them her friends. Though she was not comfortable with such strong language, she did feel closer to them in a sense. You don't go through a high-stakes situation like their latest training mission without some bonds forming.

"I can't say I'm happy about any of this."

Sasuke's voice lured her out of her reverie, the girl only now noticing his creased brow, his darkened eyes.

"I hate it when you take risks like that, Sakura, and you need to stop doing that. You have to understand that you're not invincible."

"Sasuke..."

He exhaled. "I don't doubt you'll make a full recovery, or else find a way to keep being a ninja even if you don't. Otherwise, I wouldn't be wasting my breath telling you all this. Just think of yourself more next time."

Her emerald irises stared into his onyx ones. His eyes always revealed so much more emotion than his cool monotone ever allowed.

"I can only try," she relented.

He smirked, walking toward her. "Here," he said, offering a small, maroon pouch. "I forgot to give this one back to you in the cave." He was referring to the first item's case he had lifted off her in their cells – the one which curiously had no weapons in it.

"I didn't look inside. It seemed kind of personal to you."

He placed the bag on the table, retrieving one of Chouji's muffins while he was there. He sat on the chair beside her and began piecing the pastry.

"Thank you, Sasuke. I appreciate that. I don't know what I'd do if I had lost-...what are you doing?"

"You haven't eaten since you woke up." He held a portion of the muffin before her mouth. "Plus, I know how much you love sweets, disgusting as they are to me."

She looked at the morsel hesitantly. "You really don't have to do this Sas-"

"Just eat it will you? Don't make me force it down your throat."

She threw him another look before yielding, her mouth welcoming the savory sweetness. Chouji's mom was a pretty damn good baker.

* * *

"You insolent fools!"

A harsh echo reverberated through the dark space, the man wincing as he cringed on his knees.

"I-I'm so sorry, Idate-san. We sent our most powerful ninja after those children b-but they still managed t-to escape. They were just-just overwhelmed. Oh, please forgive us. P-Please have mercy on us, sir."

"When your master gives you a mission, it should be done without fault. I ought to have you insects punished right now. You are all obviously unworthy to serve our lord."

"N-No. P-Please don't!"

Idate smirked at the shaking man beneath him.

"A pathetic sight. Thankfully for you lot, we were able to collect what we needed. And what's more fortunate, our master believes we have found the object of our searching. After all these years, it's finally started."

* * *

"Let me in, Sakura-chan. I said let me _in_!"

"Are you still trying to force me out of here?" questioned the girl.

"Yes."

"Then you're staying in that hallway until you change your mind. Because I'm not changing mine."

The girl was standing at a window in the rehabilitation facility. She had moved into her new room a few days after hospitalization. The space was more colorful and inviting than her white hospital room, but her mood hadn't improved that much.

"I'm gonna get one of the nurses to open this door if you don't!"

She sighed. "Then that's what you'll have to do, because you aren't getting in here any other way, Naruto." _Not that I could unlock it myself anyway_, she noted. _With my arms in these casts, I can only push the lock in, not out._

The blonde genin burst through the door, huffing as he thanked the nurse before strolling up to his depressed teammate.

"The first time you went outside in a whole week is when they moved you into this place, and you haven't left since. It's time to greet the world, Sakura-chan!"

"Can't I just punch it in the face instead," she mumbled, her eyes still on the window she stood near. "Or at the very least give it a good swing with my cast..."

"I refuse to watch you just wallowing in this room all by yourself while you wait for your arms to heal."

"Yeah, well I advise you to leave then. I can't eat, I can't dress myself, I can't open doors, I can't even shower myself or brush my own teeth. Wallowing seems like the only thing I actually _can _do right now. What else is there?"

"How about a walk?"

Sakura's and Naruto's eyes drifted to the door, finding Inuzuka Kiba grinning at them.

"I wasn't positive I was on the right floor at first. But then I heard yelling and I just knew I was in the right place." The boy chuckled lightly.

"What are you doing here, Kiba? Don't you have a tail to go chase or something?"

"I'm not here for you, so butt out will 'ya? I came to see Sakura."

"Why?"

"Not that it's any of his business, but I wanted to see if you'd like to come on a walk with me. Figured you could use some fresh air. Plus I know the best routes."

Sakura looked apprehensive. Like she had just tried explaining to Naruto, she didn't _want_ fresh air. She just wanted to get better and get on with her life. She didn't mind placing her world on hold while she waited. The girl actually preferred it.

Though, she couldn't bear explaining this quite so aggressively to Kiba as she did Naruto.

"I appreciate the thought, really. But I'm just not up for going out right now."

"Listen," started the dog-lover, "you're the queen of manners right? Well you know, it's pretty rude to turn down an offer from someone who's trying to help you. I even went out of my way to leave Akamaru home to make you more comfortable. And I don't do that for just anybody."

Sakura parted her lips but said nothing, hesitating as she tried to come up with a response.

"I can't say I really wan'tcha goin' with him," said Naruto, "but if it gets you out of here, I say go for it."

"Meet me outside," was all Kiba said before he walked out.

Sakura looked at the door then back at Naruto.

"Just go already. But call me up if he gets too annoying. I'll pummel him for 'ya, believe it"

* * *

Kiba had taken his pink-haired friend on a leveled path through the forest, the road gently winding around a river as the pair started their return to the village.

"Looks like you've finally gotten used to walking around with that hunk of plaster on your arms," observed Kiba.

"Only because we've been at this for over an hour now," she explained.

"True. And hey, with the number of times you've fallen over already, I guess it would be pretty embarrassing if you hadn't improved some."

She looked at his grinning from the corner of her eye, suppressing a giggle.

It had been surprisingly therapeutic, this stroll with Kiba. Walking on her own brought back some control she felt she had lost after the attack. And although she had been quite apprehensive about being around the ninja without Naruto (or even Sasuke) as a buffer, Kiba's company was actually very easy to keep. The boy went on and on about the routes he enjoyed, the benefits the different terrain offered, the trees and flowers you'd find at the varying altitudes. It didn't take too long for Sakura to posit that he was an outdoorsman.

"You're an awfully quiet person, aren't you?"

"I-Is that a really bad thing?" she asked shyly.

"Nah nah, both my teammates don't talk too much so I'm used to it. I just wanted to make sure you weren't gettin' bored or annoyed."

The girl smirked. "You're forgetting the parrot I have for a teammate myself."

Kiba guffawed in amusement. "Yup, you'd definitely be used to chatty people with someone like Naruto hangin' around 'ya all the time."

She nodded. "Though I've enjoyed listening to you, Kiba, so you shouldn't worry about that. What you have to say is really useful."

"I'm glad, but you don't have to hide that you were anxious about coming. I can tell. I just wanted to make sure that you were comfortable."

Sakura looked out at the river, the light dancing off the surface was more magical than she had ever seen it. "About that..."

"Somethin' on your mind?"

"Well sort of." Her gaze returned to the boy. "I hope I'm not being blunt in asking, but why did you ask me out here anyway? Why are you going out of your way to be so nice to me?"

He smirked. "Apart from the fact that you saved our lives?"

"No one else is going to all this trouble," she shrugged.

"And who told you this was such a trouble anyway?" he retorted. "And I guess it's just 'cause I like you."

"You don't even know me."

"I know 'ya plenty. You risked your life to save Akamaru, and you don't even like dogs."

The girl pressed her lips together. "I told you why I did that. It wasn't a danger to me as much as it was you."

"My second reason," the boy went on, "is because of the way you defended Hinata."

"You mean during the fight?"

"I mean against her loving cousin," he corrected. "Shino told me about it. It takes a lot of guts to step up to Neji, and you did that just to argue Hinata's usefulness."

"I was only doing what I felt was best for the squad. Why is that such a big deal? It was nothing."

"It meant everything...to her." Kiba grew quiet, lost in his thoughts.

They continued on in silence, Sakura chewing over the Inuzuka's words. She still couldn't quite figure out his motives, but she was still grateful for his company.

"I'm glad you got me to come with you," said Sakura minutes later. "This turned out to be a great idea. Thank you, Kiba-san."

"Hah, if you really wanted to thank me you'd drop that '-san' off my name."

"But I barely know you."

"Hey, you're compulsively polite right? And isn't it rude to keep adding a suffix for someone when they insist you lose it? So using the honorific as a sign of respect is actually causing disrespect. You might as well just drop it for me."

The pinkette gave her companion a pointed look. "That logic worked once on me, but a second time in one day is pushing it. You are still Kiba-san."

The boy raised his hands. "Can't say I didn't try."

* * *

"You cannot be expecting me to approve of this, Kakashi-san."

The silver-haired jounin exhaled steadily, rising from the office chair. Dealing with psychologists never was easy. Just because they had formal study of the workings of the human mind, they felt they knew everything. It was so hard to convince them otherwise.

"Sato-sensei, I do not know what else I can say to prove to you that my team is ready for the chuunin exams. My students have given their consent, and their team relations have improved exponentially. All I require from your office is a signature validating all genin are psychologically fit. Why do you insist on holding them back?"

"They are only rookies. How can you freely introduce them to the dangers of these exams when they've only been genin for less than five months?"

"Your office approved of the other rookies," rebutted Kakashi. "What makes my squad so different?"

"They don't have members of their team whose healths are in question."

"You're referring to Sakura," concluded the Copy Ninja, his tone becoming calmer.

The doctor nodded. "She may not even be able to compete in the exams in the first place. Why put the added strain on her of healing from such a serious injury in so short a time? Isn't it far better to wait until next year?"

"Her body's capacity to compete is a question for the medics, Sato-sensei. Your duty is to evaluate their _mental_ capacity."

"Ugh, oh, I suppose you're right," sighed Dr. Sato. "I shouldn't be so overprotective. But it's out of my hands anyway. My superior is the one who signs off on matters related to the chuunin exams, and he explicitly ordered that your squad not be permitted to compete."

Kakashi's eye narrowed. "Why? What does he have against my team?"

"I don't know. I agreed with him for Sakura's sake, so I didn't ask too many questions."

"I'd like to talk to your superior right now."

"Then speak."

A rotund man with grayed hair entered the office.

"I had heard you were coming down here, Kakashi. I figured you would have asked for me eventually."

"Kada Tarou..._you_ head the psychology department?"

"Indeed," nodded the man cheekily. "And look at you, Kakashi the Copy Ninja – esteemed jounin of Konoha and former member of the ANBU Black Ops. You've done well for yourself. I haven't seen you since our therapy sessions after your father's tragic suicide. You look so much like him."

The jounin stared into Dr. Kada's icy blue eyes, keeping his expression blank without so much as pursing his lips beneath his mask. "It has been a long time, hasn't it?"

"And yet you haven't changed at all," added the doctor with a smile. "As aloof as ever."

"You still working under Danzou-sama I take it? It certainly explains why you've singled out my team against taking the exams. I imagine he wouldn't see fit to allow the Nine-Tails Jinjuriki the opportunity to ascend in rank. It would mean more dangerous missions that would have him outside the village."

"Aloof _and_ astute," chuckled the graying man. "Same old Kakashi."

"You realize what this means if I lodge a formal complaint with Hokage-sama?"

"No need to involve the higher-ups in these small matters, Kakashi, I mean really. I'll sign-off for your team this instant. Just follow me to my office."

The head-psychologist sauntered through the door, Kakashi moving close behind.

"You'll give my regards to Sakura and your other students?" The jounin turned to face Dr. Sato. "We had our final mandatory session shortly after their return from the Land of Waves. I do miss seeing them though. You have a spirited bunch on your hands, Kakashi-san. I know we've had our differences, but I wish you the best."

Dr. Sato offered the jounin his hand, which he accepted firmly.

"Take care, Sato-sensei. And thank you for all your hard work."

* * *

By the end of the second week after the attack, Sakura had taken to running. She had never trained this way before, relying on her natural speed to suffice in a fight. But her walk with Kiba had sparked an idea.

If she could not conduct any sort of training that involved her hands, she would use her legs. Kiba had guided her on which trails to start off with, and which ones were the most difficult. If anything else, she would use this time to cultivate her speed. Perhaps Naruto was right and she would be recovered in time for the chuunin exams. If so, she wanted to be prepared.

She was in the middle of a run in the village, sprinting along the concrete river bank. It had only been a week and she had already made such progress in speed. Her training made her feel useful, proficient in one area of her life when she was so dependent regarding all others.

Lee had joined her one evening, in something he described as a "spontaneous fit of youthful fury," and later suggested she try leg weights to improve.

This was her first evening donning the five-pound loads, and she had worked up quite a sweat because of them. But she pressed forward, relying on her muscles rather than any chakra. Aching legs and hammering chest told her she needed a breather, the girl stopping to gasp for air. This was going to be a lot more challenging than she had thought.

"I suppose Kiba was right about your being up and about."

Sakura straightened on her feet. "Kurenai-sensei. Uh, h-hi. What brings you here?"

The dark-haired woman motioned to the side, allowing passerby space on the walkway. "There's this little shop on the bank that sells the best dango in the village. I was actually just on my way to meet someone there. How are you feeling?"

"I-I'm doing all right. It's getting better at least."

"I am so sorry we jounin weren't able to protect you all. You have my sincerest apologies, Sakura."

The pinkette nodded weakly and turned away from Kurenai's earnest ruby irises. She couldn't bare the guilty look she was giving her.

"S-So I take it you guys still haven't figured out who was behind everything, right? I had asked Kakashi-sensei once and he said that you were still investigating."

"Yes. When we had found you and the other genin in the forest, Kakashi brought you back to the village while Asuma, Guy and I used a ninja hound to find the site where they had imprisoned you. The hideout was completely abandoned, and since then we haven't found any leads. It's like they just vanished."

"Yeah. Well hopefully something will turn up."

Kurenai smiled. "Yes well enough about such depressing topics. It seems you've been quite determined to fight for your recovery. I've been hearing all about it from both Kiba and Kakashi. And it appears I'm interrupting a session myself." The woman noted Sakura's leg weights and exhausted exterior.

"I-I've been doing what I can," she fumbled, her cheeks reddening. "This stuff doesn't compare to what I wish I could be doing, but it's all I can manage. I need to be able to compete in these exams."

Kurenai examined the girl's frame intently, her concentration breaking in a small chuckle. "That Kakashi...he told me I'd change my mind once I spoke to you."

Sakura's eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"Your sensei had asked me to do something with you, but given your condition I wasn't certain that it was a wise idea. But after hearing what you have to say, I'm beginning to rethink things."

The bewildered genin watched the woman as she brooded over the situation, a pensive finger to her chin.

"Haruno Sakura," began the jounin, having come to a decision, "would you be interested in taking a few private lessons in genjutsu?"

The candy-haired girl blinked back, shaking her head as if to shift the cotton balls in her head that had surely caused her to mishear the woman. "E-Excuse me?"

"Kakashi tells me you have promising talent in genjutsu. As a specialist in the art, I believe I could teach you some valuable skills before the chuunin exams. What do you say?"

Sakura was awestruck, her blinking eyelids being the only response she could give before her brain caught up with her. "You'd teach _me_ genjutsu?"

"What we can do will be limited," explained Kurenai, "given your condition. But genjutsu involves training more parts mind than body, which is what makes it perfect for your situation. And with your excellent chakra control, I am confident you will be able to benefit from this without exerting your system too much."

"I-I...I'd be honored to receive such training. Thank you, Kurenai-sensei." The genin bowed deeply. "Thank you."

Kurenai's lips stretched into a smile. "It's no problem, Sakura. Think of it as my way of thanking you for protecting my students during the training exercise. I think I must get going now. Look out for a message soon on scheduling."

"Right. Thank you again, Kurenai-sensei." Sakura bowed once again before darting forward, back to her training with an extra spring to her step. This was better news than she could have ever hoped for.

"Was that Sakura running off like that?" asked a man who was now standing beside Kurenai.

"What was your first clue, Asuma?"

"Ah, pink hair. And then there's the two casts on both arms. Don't see too many characters like that runnin' around. I gotta hand it to her though – the girl's got guts for being seen in the village like that."

The woman giggled. "Indeed. I'm actually looking forward to teaching her. Now then, shall we begin ordering our food? Anko swears the dango here is heavenly."

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

* * *

**On my profile page you can find a link to some fanart for this story entirely constructed by the the marvelous Miss Chocolat (deviantart name Chocolat-Hime). She has excellent skills as a writer as well guys, so be sure to check out her stories if you want a great read. "kukurenbo" and "itako" are my personal favorites.**


	12. Chance Meeting

******Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**********RE-WRITE: 3/15/12**

* * *

_**Chance Meeting**_

The girl sighed in frustration between gasps, fighting to catch her breath. It was the fourth time that morning she lost the jutsu.

"You seem unusually distracted today, Sakura."

The pinkette opened her eyes, shifting her focus from her chakra to the jounin seated on the grass before her.

"But then, this isn't a usual day is it? They'll be removing your casts later this morning. It's perfectly reasonable to have trouble concentrating under such anxiety."

It was five days before the chuunin exams, and Sakura was scheduled to be assessed by the medics that day. In just a few hours, she would finally know the extent of the permanent damage of her injuries, the amount of rehabilitation she would need, whether or not she could still take the exams, or continue being a ninja altogether. The last part worried her most. Being unable to carry on as a ninja – it would be like death to her.

"I have to keep my focus," asserted the genin. "If I can't even handle concentrating while worrying about a little doctor's visit, how am I supposed to during the stress of a battle?"

"You should give yourself a break," offered Kurenai with a smile. "If you asked me, the situation you're in is far worse than any condition of battle. At least while under attack you can consciously fight back."

"I guess..."

"How about we end for today hm?" The jounin patted the girl's knee before rising from the floor.

"B-But I can keep going." The candy-haired girl shot from the ground. "I can do it. I-I'll try a lot harder, I promise. I'll-"

"You've been pushing yourself so very hard all this time," said Kurenai. "And you've made so much progress already. The only part of the jutsu left for you to master is the hand signs, so there's no need to keep adding unnecessary pressure on you."

"B-But sensei...this is the last day I have with you. I have to get this right."

"You already have." The ruby-eyed woman planted an encouraging hand on the genin's shoulder. "You've performed the jutsu countless times with me. Just remember, even if the medics say you still can't use your hands to make the seals, you can always induce a genjutsu by touch, just like we've been practicing."

Sakura nodded. "Because hand signs in genjutsu are only used to project the illusion on your opponent," she recited mechanically. "To actually cast the jutsu, manipulation of chakra flow within yourself is what matters."

"Exactly. We've armed you with a jutsu you can defend yourself with even if your hands are useless. Factor that with your newfound speed and you may be able to compete in the exams regardless of your prognosis."

That idea flooded the girl with hope. It was proof that there were ways, tactics, that would allow her to continue her ninja journey no matter what the state of her hands were. Perhaps Lee was right. Was determination all one needed to be a shinobi?

"Thank you, Kurenai-sensei. I really appreciate all you've done for me." The girl bowed, even managing a small smile. "Though, I have a question I've been meaning to ask you for a while now."

"Yes? What is it?"

"W-Well, um, why did you agree to train me? I mean, I'm not technically your student. I'm even going to be competing against your own team during the exams, if they let me sit them. So, why?"

The woman sized up the girl in view before chuckling. "I suppose it's that ever-inquisitive mind of yours that makes you so good at battle analyses."

Sakura continued eying the sensei curiously, still waiting for a response to her query.

"The training exercise was supposed to do more than just act as survival practice, Sakura. Or do you not yet see that the safety and stability of our village is dependent on more than just the actions of individual teams?"

The genin furrowed her eyebrows, chewing over Kurenai's words.

"You'll understand with time," said the woman with a smile. "For now, I believe there is someone waiting for you."

Sakura turned to the direction Kurenai was pointing, the form of her silver-haired sensei coming into view. "Kakashi-sensei."

"Sakura. Hard at work I see. I hope you've been finding Kurenai's instruction helpful."

"Most definitely," nodded the genin, looking up from one jounin to the other. "I'm so grateful to both of you for setting this up. I-I'm not perfect at it yet, but I promise I'll keep working at it."

"I believe you've done an extraordinary job," said Kurenai. "You've progressed far more than I would have ever anticipated."

"What did I tell you?" added Kakashi, making no attempt at hide his smugness. "We best get going to the hospital, Sakura."

The flushed girl eyed her sensei as he smiled softly to her. "Y-You're going with me?"

"You didn't think I'd leave a student of mine to face this on their own, did you?"

"Well I..."

"Good luck today," said Kurenai. "And Kiba told me to wish you the best as well."

"Thank you," answered Sakura, her cheeks prickled pink.

"Now then, shall we be on our way?"

* * *

The room she waited in was bright, the white walls doing well to reflect the harsh light. Her heart racketed in her chest, protesting against its presence in this hospital area. But she needed to be here. Her now-lighter arms reminded her of that.

The medics had already removed her casts, only the bandages remaining. She was ordered to keep her hands perfectly straight – during cast removal, the taking of the x-rays, and even now as she waited for a medic to read her radiograph.

Her legs teetered back and forth under the cold bench, her ankle jerking every now and then.

"Relax, Sakura," uttered her jounin-sensei leaning against a wall, buried in his favorite book. "Everything will be fine."

She inhaled, trying her best to steady her nerves. The girl never considered herself prone to panic. But no matter what logic she used on herself about worry bearing no fruits, she could not keep calm. She was grateful for one thing though – Kakashi.

The man never said much, but he didn't need to. His company was all it took to detangle some of the knots twisted up inside her. But it wasn't just him; there was Naruto and Sasuke, and even Kiba and Lee had been supporting her these last couple weeks. For the first time in years, she was facing something emotionally grueling, and she didn't feel so alone suffering through it.

The door to the room creaked open, Sakura jumping to a start.

"Well now," breathed the medic, her voice high and music-like, "let's take a look at these x-rays."

The lights clicked off while the woman slid the radiographs onto the lit platforms. She scrutinized over the translucent sheets, eying them from afar with her brows furrowed before suddenly snatching them from the board for closer examination. Sakura did not find the gesture reassuring.

"You're not still in pain, are you Sakura-san?" asked the woman, still pouring over the x-rays.

"Uh, n-no not really. I haven't taken any of the pain medication in over a week now."

"The tenderness disappeared that long ago?" gasped the medic, her focus now completely on Sakura.

The girl swallowed. "I-Is that bad?"

"Well, I wouldn't use the word _bad_..." She stepped toward the genin. "Let's take a look at those arms."

The medic took one of Sakura's hands into her own, her fingers trailing along the bandages. The area was lit with the glow of green chakra as the woman ran her diagnostic.

"I see," she said later, halting her chakra flow. "I'm going to remove these wrappings now to assess your skin."

"What about her bones?" inquired Kakashi as the medic slowly undressed Sakura bandages. "Did something go wrong?"

"No, nothing wrong. More like _unusual_. Hmm...as is this."

The white wrappings slipped from Sakura's hands, revealing pristinely smooth skin. There was no discoloration, no scarring – no evidence that the skin had ever sustained severe burning. The medic swept her fingertips along her palms and over.

"Can you feel this?"

The girl was still, gaping at the sight of her hands. She was fully expecting to be wearing gloves for the rest of her life because of the predicted scarring. She never anticipated this.

"Sakura-san?"

"Oh," answered Sakura, snapping into focus. "Uh, yes. I can feel it."

"So your sensory receptors are also intact," commented the woman. "Interesting."

"Excuse me," began Kakashi, "but would you mind explaining to the rest of us what exactly is it that you find so interesting?"

"Forgive me, Kakashi-san. Your student's condition just surprised me. As you can see for yourself, her skin has completely regenerated. There isn't even a blemish in sight. In addition, every bone and joint in her hands has been mended perfectly. I find not one thing out of place. Her chakra points are also unharmed."

Sakura's body froze, her mind slowly catching up to the situation. So she wasn't going to be a ninja cripple? All this time, the medic's anxiety-causing behavior was because things were actually going more _right _than expected? The ensuing wave of relief washed away any desire to be upset with the woman for misleading them all this time.

"This is very perplexing," said the troubled medic. "But then, she received several chakra-healing treatments. Each person takes to it differently. Perhaps that's the explanation. Or maybe..." The woman shook her head, bothered.

"Try moving them, Sakura," suggested her sensei.

The girl's eyes strayed from the frazzled medic to the jounin, anxious yet excited to try her hands out. She began with her wrists, moving them up and down, side to side, circularly. Her hands fisted next, repeatedly stretching in then out. Her joints felt somewhat taut from lack of use, but otherwise movement was not uncomfortable or restricted.

"Is there any pain while you move?"

"Not at all, sensei. Just a little stiff."

"Your hands are indeed perfectly healed," said the medic, her attention returning to her patient. "I would advise you to take things slow the first couple days. Otherwise, I see no medical reason to keep you off-duty. I hereby deem you physically fit to precede into the chuunin exams next week. Best of luck to you."

Sakura failed to notice the woman exiting the exam room, her eyes mesmerized by her palms. This was good news, better than any she dared to hope for. But her initial glee was fading, a new concern festering within her.

Why _were_ her hands so perfectly healed? How could they have escaped all permanent damage, and in such an unnatural timeframe?

"Sakura?"

The girl's eyes remained transfixed on her hands. They seemed foreign to her now, wrapped tighter in mystery than when her casts were still on.

"Sakura." Gloved hands clasped gently over her own, her rising eyes facing the masked ninja. Emerald met charcoal.

"Kakashi-sensei... why am I...this isn't supposed to...I'm not..." She fumbled, her words communicating more of her worry and uncertainty than any actual information.

"Sakura." The ninja slumped beside her on the bench. "I know you must feel confused about all this, and I don't blame you. But try to keep in mind – this is a _good _thing. There are many mysteries of this world which plague us. It doesn't do well to fretfully dwell on the positive ones."

"But sensei, I just, I don't understand what's going on. And I need to. This isn't-this isn't normal! I-I'm not...normal..." Her eyes sank back to her lap.

"Well the fact is that you not being 'normal' saved your hands. I even suspect it saved your life once."

"W-What? When?" She turned to her teacher, her frown dipped even deeper in confusion.

"Your injury in the Land of Waves – it was supposed to be a fatal one. I only ever supposed that you had a special healing ability then. It allowed your lungs to instantly regenerate from the strike to your chest. But now, I think what we found out today confirms it."

"So I've got, what, super-healing?"

"I'm not too sure," he responded. "You recuperate from regular injuries at an average pace. I first believed your body could quickly regenerate only from life-threatening damage – like your lungs healing while the gash in your chest remained. But the situation with your non-lethal hand injury adds an interesting piece to the puzzle. Perhaps your healing also extends to being capable of recovering from permanent damage as well."

"It doesn't seem so interesting to me, sensei. Not from where I'm sitting."

Her thoughts were too fixated on the unknown of it all to appreciate the usefulness of her 'special ability.' She needed answers, an explanation for this anomaly. If she didn't know what caused this, how was she to anticipate the other abnormal things that might be going on inside her body? And worst of all, even if this had been some sort of familial trait, who was she to ask about it? She had no living family, no physical link to her heritage at all.

"I don't want you worrying about this anymore," said Kakashi, a gentle hand bracing her shoulder. "I'll look into this. You just concern yourself with your exams, all right? Let's not forget, you've only got five more days to prepare for it."

The jounin and his pupil rose from the bench. He had been right. Sakura had more pressing matters to occupy her concern, which suited her just fine. A goal always succeeded in siphoning off her troubling feelings by offering such great distraction.

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei," she nodded.

The man's eye crinkled into a smile. "We'll get through this together, Sakura. You aren't alone anymore."

"Alone," she repeated, "no I guess I'm not, am I?"

"Right, neither in this nor your upcoming exams. You will always have your teammates and friends to rely on when you're in a jam."

The girl paused in place, her sensei turning from the exit when he noticed this. "Is something else bothering you?"

"I wouldn't say bothering," she answered, sounding as vague as the medic had been with them. "Is that why you made us go on that training mission?"

"Hm?"

"You just said I could rely on my teammates...and _friends_. When we were captured, the other genin and I worked together for a common goal and it sort of...brought us together almost. We learnt how to work together and rely on each other.

"And then just this morning, Kurenai-sensei said something like that too – that the safety and stability of our village is dependent on more than just the actions of individual teams. Inter-group cooperation is just as important as any sort of teamwork I have with Naruto and Sasuke."

"This is all true," said Kakashi, his mask hiding a small smirk. "So you've figured out our motives for the exercise."

The girl nodded, her cheeks reddening under her teacher's proud gaze. "I-I never really would have questioned it before if Neji-san hadn't brought it up at the dinner. About why such a large group was selected for a training simulation. B-But there's something else too."

"Is there now?"

"I-It's unusual timing, getting to know our fellow ninja so intimately before having to face _against_ them in the chuunin exams. It just doesn't make sense. My only guess is that what you all had to teach us is far more important to our survival than losing our element of surprise against one another in battle.

"Which leaves me to ask...i-is something bad going to happen during the exams?"

Kakashi shook his head, his smile not leaving his face as he eyed her. "I worry sometimes about how little a break you must give your brain from all the thinking you do."

The girl reciprocated a sheepish smile, though her cheeks felt tight. "I had a lot of time on my hands in the hospital." The man chuckled. "So, am I right?"

Kakashi's expression hardened by a few degrees. "I would be lying to you if I said we didn't have our suspicions. We have reason to believe someone is planning to interfere with the exams, it's true. However, we do not yet know who or whether this information is correct. We jounin-sensei decided to take measures to prepare our students for this hiccup regardless."

"Could it be the same people who captured us?" proposed Sakura, a whisper of anxiety returning to her voice.

"We considered this possibility as well, but we know even less about the training exercise debacle than the issue with the chuunin exams. So for now, we just have to proceed with caution. And Sakura?"

The girl raised her fretful features to her sensei.

"Don't worry too much about it," he urged, his eye lidded in a smile. "Just trust in your team and yourself. I'm sure everything will be just fine."

* * *

"Sakura-senpai!"

The pinkette spun on her heels against the dusty village road. The familiar voice which drew her attention sounded with urgency behind her. "Moegi-chan. What's wrong?"

"Sakura-senpai, you have to come quick," gasped the girl, wasting no time to catch her breath. "Konohamaru and Naruto-niichan are in trouble...on the Great Brick Road...intruders!"

The genin broke into immediate panic, the image of a flustered Moegi fueling her as she bolted down the village highway. She had just parted with Kakashi on her way home from the hospital, and something like this happens?

Who were these mysterious trespassers? Were they in league with those who had captured the genin? Or perhaps they were attempting to meddle with the chuunin exams? Or maybe they were one in the same? Her thoughts were racing as fast her speeding feet, her thundering heart.

The candy-haired girl was dashing along a wooden fence, the Great Brick Road snaking along the opposite side. She would stretch her senses to the other side, pinpoint Naruto and the intruders and jump in with a sneak-attack if need be.

"From your headbands, it's clear you're Hidden Sand ninja." That was Sasuke's voice – so he was there too. Sakura felt measures more reassured. She arrested just beyond detection.

"Yeah, what of it?" A girl's voice, one she didn't recognize.

"Just what the heck are you guys doin' in our village anyway?" Sakura rolled her eyes. _Naruto_.

"We're here to take the chuunin exams, of course," responded the same snooty ninja. "We have permission to be here so just buzz off already, kid. Or do you want to start up a fight?"

Sakura held herself back no more, leaping over the wooden partition to land on the ground facing the group of Sand shinobi. While she had been eavesdropping, she picked up three foreign chakra signatures. She would not have Naruto and Sasuke outnumbered.

"No one will be starting up anything," she asserted, her gaze penetrating the blonde Sand ninja, the only female.

"Sakura-chan," exclaimed Naruto. "Oh yeah! These other ninja don't stand a chance with our whole team together, believe it."

Sakura grimaced, giving her teammate a pointed look. "Naruto, I just said we weren't going to incite a fight. I'm sure we can amicably resolve whatever dispute there is."

Her eyes scanned the three ninja more attentively, taking in their frames. There was the blonde girl, a boy clad in black with purple paint on his face, and a redhead carrying a rotund gourd on his back.

Her gaze lingered on the shortest of the three, his scarlet hair and sea green eyes tickling something in her memory. The boy's facial features were familiar but different. She had to screw her eyes tightly on him before recognition finally slammed into her harder than a battering-ram.

"G-Gaara-kun? Gaara-kun, is that really you?"

The boy's expression remained flawlessly impassive, despite the curiosity and intrigue which the observing ninja were now eying them with. The two blondes turned to their respective teammates.

"Garra..."

"Sakura-chan..."

"...do you know this person?"

* * *

"_I can't believe you're leaving tomorrow," mumbled the girl, her mood hanging as lifelessly as the pink locks framing her face. "I don't want you to go."_

"_B-But I don't have a choice. I wish I could stay longer, I really do, but-"_

"_Your dad's leaving," she finished for him, a despairing sigh escaping her lips. "But you've only been here a week. Why can't you guys stay longer?"_

"_You know why," answered the boy weakly. "He can't extend the trip. He's the-"_

"_The Kazekage, I know I know." Her tone was deflating more and more by the second._

_The redhead linked their fingers supportively as they walked. "You shouldn't be so down."_

"_How else can I be? I'm sad you're leaving. I know we haven't known each other very long, but it still makes me sad."_

_The boy shied his face away from hers. "I-I'm sorry."_

_The girl halted in her tracks, forcing the boy to stop with her. "Why are you sorry?"_

"_I'm-I'm the reason you're sad."_

_The girl stared blankly into Gaara's pale green eyes, his gaze burdened with guilt. The pinkette furrowed her eyebrows. "You're so silly sometimes."_

"_S-Silly?"_

_Sakura's serious features snapped into an expression of cheer, a smile decorating her face. "Well yeah. You leaving makes me sad, not you. You make me so happy. That's why I can get so sad for you being gone."_

_The boy fidgeted uncomfortably with his fingers, his eyes lowered under the warm gaze of the girl before him._

"_We'll just stop here. This looks like as good a spot as any." She plopped onto the grassy meadow overlooking the Hidden Stone Village, inviting her scarlet-haired friend to join her. They lay with their faces to the night sky, exploring the starry blanket of black together._

"_I'm so happy I got to meet you," said Sakura after some time. Gaara rolled on his side, watching her continue to observe the night sky. "I'm just so glad you came on this business trip with your dad so we could meet. I'm gonna remember you forever."_

"_Y-You will?" he squeaked, excited and awed at the same time. "You really won't forget me, Sakura-chan?"_

"_You thought I was just going to forget you?" The two children were now facing each other. "You'd...you'd think something that awful of me?"_

"_N-No, it's not that," he responded hastily, noting the girl fallen expression. "It's just, I'm probably never coming back here. We're not going to see each other again."_

_Sakura pursed her lips together anxiously. "Oh hey, I know. I'll just visit you."_

"_Our villages aren't allies. You wouldn't be able to get in."_

"_Oh," was all she said. _

_Her attention returned to the stars and she closed her eyes. She looked almost like she was making a wish on them. This struck Gaara with an idea, and he too turned to the sparks of light, eyelids smacked tightly together in concentration._

"_What are you doing?" chuckled the candy-haired girl, eying her friend in amusement._

_Gaara's cheeks mimicked his hair color. "N-Nothing."_

"_Aw come on, tell me," she urged. "Tell me, please tell me."_

"_W-Well, I was...I-I was making a wish."_

"_A wish? Really? What of?"_

"_You're gonna think it's dumb."_

"_I would never," insisted the girl vehemently. "Never in a million years."_

_Their eyes met briefly before Gaara turned shyly away again. "I wished that the villages would all be friends. Th-That way, we could visit each other whenever we wanted, a-and stay friends. I-I don't want you to forget me, Sakura-chan. You're the first friend I ever..."_

_He faced her again, conscious of what she might have been thinking. She clasped her hand onto his, smiling her brilliant smile, the kind only she had ever given him apart from his uncle, Yashamaru. Without even realizing it, his lips mirrored hers._

"_I love your smile," she remarked, beaming at him as she did. "You should do it more often. You have such an amazing smile."_

_The blush on his face returned with a vengeance, silencing any response._

"_Okay. I think I have it all figured out."_

"_You have what figured out?" asked Gaara, wondering whether his recent friend was seriously going to try allying all the villages like he had wished for._

"_We're not going to forget each other. We're just going to get closer, as friends."_

"_B-But how?"_

"_If we can't see each other, we'll just stick with communication. And to combat the long distance, our weapon of choice shall be – messenger birds."_

"_Messenger birds?"_

"_Yes. Messenger birds...and lots and lots of letters."_

* * *

"Well, Sakura-chan? Do you know this guy or not?"

The kunoichi shook herself out of her reverie, her eyes unmoving from Gaara's poker face. "We met in Iwagakure almost seven years ago," she explained. "Don't you remember, Gaara-kun?" Her lips curled into a smile.

The boy did not reciprocate, his expression as stony as it always was. "I don't know you," he answered flatly.

Sakura's lips parted though she uttered nothing, looking dejected. Had it been that long ago for her old pen-pal to forget her?

"I'm far more interested in knowing your name," continued the redhead, his gaze aimed at the boy standing atop the tree branch beside the road.

"Uchiha Sasuke. And yours?"

"Gaara of the Desert." So she hadn't mistaken him for someone else. "I look forward to facing you in these exams. Let's get out of here, Temari. Kankuro."

The three foreigners disappeared from sight. Sakura continue to stare blankly while Naruto was fuming to Konohamaru – something about no one caring to know _his_ name, and why on earth Sasuke was so cool.

"Is everything all right?"

The distracted pinkette did not turn to face the Uchiha now standing beside her. She was enwrapped with thoughts of confusion, feelings of rejection and a storm of insecurity. It was true that time had separated them, and after her move to Konoha they were unable to continue sending letters to each other. But it didn't mean she never thought about her shy friend from Suna. It was quite the opposite actually...

Her thoughts circled onto the small maroon pouch attached to her belt – the one she wore on her at all times, even when she was in the Academy. Its contents were a mystery to all but her, and when she pondered on it she gave a resolute nod.

Indeed, she had always remembered Gaara. She carried him with her everywhere she went. And the most hurtful part of this ordeal?

_He_ had forgotten _her_.

"Are you even hearing me? Sakura?"

A waved hand to her face wrested her attention, the kunoichi finally acknowledging her dark-haired teammate.

"Oh, Sasuke."

"Yeah." he exasperated. "Sasuke. What's up with you?"

"Up with me?"

The boy rolled his eyes. "You looked like you knew that strange ninja. And then you got all dazed and won't even explain who he is or what's going on with your hands. We can see your casts are off."

"O-Oh." The girl spared her hands a glance. "Yeah, my hands are fine. Fully healed, and I can compete in the exams too." She watched him while she spoke, but Sasuke could still tell the full brunt of her focus was not on him.

"This is great news. But you seem like you'd much rather be talking about that Sand ninja. Who is he?"

"I told you who he was...who I thought he was, anyway." There was a brief pause. "And I don't want you gunning him out for a fight, Sasuke." His only response was a raised eyebrow. "I'm serious. I saw that look in your eyes when you asked for his name. You want to face him."

"Who I want to battle isn't your concern, Sakura," he answered harshly. "Besides, this isn't about me. You just seemed a bit shaken up, which is why I'm asking about him, that's all. I'm not looking for any inside knowledge you might have."

She only turned away from him, her eyes resting on Naruto and Konohamaru bickering. She had to get Gaara to remember her somehow. But was it even possible? The boy before her moments ago was so drastically different from the one existing in her memory. He was colder, darker, more...she couldn't even find the word for it. Sinister?

"Just forget about him." Sasuke's hard voice ushered her eyes to his. "There's something off about that guy. The look in his eyes, it's...I just don't want you near him. Got it?"

Her eyebrows creased in defiance as she stared into her teammate's unwavering glare. "Who I want to talk to is none of your concern, Sasuke," she said, spitting back the same line he had used on her.

They exchanged insubmissive scowls, their frowns growing deeper by the second. Sakura watched Sasuke's intent obsidian irises, her stubbornness wavering under their weight. She was the first to crumble, exhaling a sigh as she turned to walk away from him.

"You wouldn't understand," she breathed.

"Hey, Sakura-chan," called the blonde, finally surfacing from his squabble with Konohamaru only to find the pinkette several feet away. "Sakura-chan, wait up! Where are you walkin' off too? What's the deal with that Gaara guy? And hey hey hey, what the heck happened to your arms?"

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -


	13. Predators

******Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**********RE-WRITE: 3/16/12**

* * *

_**Predators**_

Hushed chatter blanketed the wind-whipped meadow as teams from the Hidden Leaf, Sand, Sound, Grass and Rain villages coalesced to discuss strategy. These squads were the fortunate survivors of the first test of the chuunin exams – it had been a written test with the hidden agenda of evaluating information-gathering skills and testing the gennin's mettle.

Of the seventy-three squads that participated, twenty-six stood on the grassy field, Team 7 and the remainder of the Konoha Twelve included.

"We can handle this, guys," proclaimed Naruto to his teammates, stealing wary glances at the fenced off forest just beyond them. "Yeah no sweat, so what if they call it the Forest of Death? Doesn't scare me, not one bit."

"Well maybe it should," slithered a voice behind him, Naruto jumping to find their purple-haired exam instructor mischievously grinning down at him. The tomboyish woman took in the sight of the three gennin with a chuckle.

"This section of the exam isn't going to be a walk in the park like with Ibiki. As I explained, all these teams will be vying for the Earth and Heaven scrolls, meaning at least half of you won't pass. And you know if that wasn't enough, there are plenty of critters in the forest that would sooner eat you alive than any human opponent you'll face in there. Just sayin'."

The jounin handed each of them a sheet of paper – the consent forms she had spoken of earlier, the ones that would bar her from responsibility should any one of them die during the test. Sakura mildly wondered exactly how often that happened for the village to administer such stringent measures.

The pinkette watched their instructor, Mitarashi Anko, saunter off to the next squad. She wasn't yet certain which of the two examiners she feared most so far. Anko had an easygoing, playful attitude about her, making her very Naruto-like in that way. What was disconcerting was when she applied that to such things as violence and death. Then she looked borderline psychotic.

Morino Ibiki, their first proctor, was no better. From her readings on notable shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, Sakura knew the scar-faced jounin was an expert in interrogation and torture. That spoke for itself. The man was the pinnacle of intimidation and domineering, which suited his motives during the first test just fine.

"That lady's even crazier than Ibiki," commented Naruto, seemingly on the same train of thought. "Everyone here is totally nuts."

"You were still able to keep your cool," said Sakura, "even if you were a bit obnoxious doing it."

"Huh?"

"I'm talking about your outburst during the first test," she chuckled. "When Ibiki-san was asking us about the tenth question. I honestly thought you were going to cave, but you really motivated everyone in there."

"Don't encourage him," added Sasuke.

"Y-You really thought that was super cool of me, Sakura-chan," pleaded Naruto, beaming. "You really really mean it?"

"Well, uh, yeah," she answered, trying to ignore the strange watery tinge to the blonde's eyes. "You really surprised me."

Naruto's face exploded into a wide grin, chanting a "Sakura thinks I'm cool" during his happy dance.

Sasuke deadpanned at his ridiculous teammate, but Sakura only snickered at the insanity that was Naruto. She had been so anxious for these exams, right until the tenth question. But the blonde had inspired her with courage. He helped her know everything would be all right, despite any despairing circumstance.

"I'm just glad you were able to keep your cool during the pressure of deciding whether or not to answer the last question. I was hoping you would, so I could implement my contingency plan."

Naruto abruptly halted his parading, the gennin spinning to face his pink-haired teammate. "W-What? Contingency plan?"

"Yeah," she answered, still smiling. "I figured out all the answers myself before. I was planning to cast a genjutsu to give them to you once we got all the questions. Looks like we didn't need them after all though, huh?"

"Y-You..." The boy's face crumbled into a fit of tears, his bottom lip quivering. "Y-you...you mean I worried through all that for nothing?"

* * *

The members of Team 7 bounded through the deathtrap of green, formally known as the Forest of Death. Even the trees they swept past had a sickly twist to them, the oddest species of vegetation lining their field of vision.

The gennin were tensed, weary of being detected and ambushed as they sped toward their target – a tower located in the center of the forest. Their plan was simple: prioritize making it to the tower while engaging in battle only with those who crossed their paths. As they would near the center, the circumference surrounding the tower would decrease, making it more likely to run into enemies. They wanted to be at full strength to combat such enemies when the time arose.

Sakura's eyes drifted to Sasuke as he led his teammates forward. He had elected to carry the greatest burden of the mission – safe-guarding their Heaven scroll. She knew he would be the hottest target, and that she had to do everything in her power to protect him.

The group wordlessly traversed the terrain, zigzagging toward the tower. They had been lucky. Hours had passed and they were able to evade all attackers. It was almost suspicious.

Sakura kept a watchful eye out, her eyes darting through the shrubbery surrounding them. Something had to be up; the training-exercise debacle the month before taught them that. Despite her searching, the girl could find nothing out of place.

The gennin could not sense any presence about them, neither for person or creature. There were simply the lofty trees they sprang through, the parasitic vines perched on these towers of wood for height, and then the green shrubbery that thickly matted the ground below.

Despite this, Sakura could not shake the feeling that something was wrong – no, that she had just overlooked something important. She mentally rechecked her observations.

The lack of human presence was what first drew her suspicion. As for not encountering the man-eating beasts which Anko had boldly claimed littered the forest – that too was odd. As they travelled deeper into the forest, their likelihood of encountering such monsters should have increased drastically. Was there something keeping them away?

The trees they bounded through were normal enough to the touch, and the vines enwrapping them was typical of a forest habitat. Parasitic plants often used trees as stepping stones to rise toward the canopy, where life-sustaining sunlight was less obstructed by tree branches.

Smaller plants at ground level were also usual, with only those adapted to low levels of light surviving. Because of this, less shrubbery persisted on the ground within the deeper reaches of a forest as opposed to the periphery, where there was more sunlight.

This latest thought struck something in the girl, deepening her frown. She was indeed correct about typical forest topography, having heard enough about it from Kiba during their hikes. The odd thing was that this forest did not follow it.

Her eyes dropped to the ground, noting the thick expanse of vegetation surviving there. Shrubbery of that amount should not exist where they were; Team 7 had been speeding deeper into the forest for over three hours now. Yet, the floor resembled what one would find in the forest periphery.

It all clicked into place. The lack of ninja and creature contact, the thick foliage beneath them – they had been travelling around the outer edges of the forest the entire time.

Sakura knew Sasuke would not have made such a mistake navigation-wise. That only meant that someone was interfering with their sense of direction. The girl mentally kicked herself. They were so concerned with extending their senses on the outside for detecting enemies that they failed to notice what was going on internally. Even now as she thought it, the girl could feel the strangeness in her chakra.

_This is a genjutsu._

The kunoichi altered the wave of her chakra flow, casting out the intrusive energy. Her world swirled into a mix of colors before the images around her became solid. She could see it clearly now, the direction they were moving. Her theory had been confirmed.

The girl was left with another dilemma. The genjutsu-caster was undoubtedly watching them, waiting for them to tire before attacking. If they were to exploit this and attack the enemy ninja before they detected that their jutsu had been broken, the Leaf gennin could overcome their enemies' advantage. But even now, outside the jutsu's influence, Sakura could not discover the true whereabouts of their opponents. She would have to subtly release Sasuke and Naruto of the jutsu as well.

The girl made a grab at a tree branch to swing her suspended body, then purposely slipped, allowing her body to freefall to the bottom. She focused her chakra as she fell, relying on one of her teammates to catch her before she hit.

Sasuke's arms were around were within seconds, rebounding off tree trunks and just barely missing a boulder before landing. As she had hoped, his bare skin brushed against hers, her chakra pouring into his. Sasuke was instantly freed from the illusion, his eyes directed at Sakura. She gave him a small nod, knowing he would have figured out the whole genjutsu scam by now.

He rose from the ground, scanning their surroundings. Naruto plopped beside Sakura, his expression worried.

"Sakura-chan, what happened? You fell out of nowhere. You okay?"

"Y-Yes, yes I'm fine, Naruto," she answered, still seated on the ground. "It-It must be my injury." She removed her gloves and massaged her hands. "I guess I still haven't regained full muscle-strength in my hands yet. Could you help me up?"

The boy grasped onto her outstretched hand and helped her to her feet. On contact with her naked hands, Naruto was freed from the jutsu as well, and Sakura silently prayed he wouldn't alert the enemy in an outburst like he usually-

"What the heck's going on here? What just happened?"

The blonde's head frantically swiveled left and right. Sakura rolled her eyes, returning her gloves to her hands.

"Shut _up_, dobe," hissed Sasuke.

"Don't tell me to shut up," spat Naruto. "I don't know if you or Sakura-chan noticed, but something really weird's going on here. None of it makes any- hey, what do you think you're doing?"

Balls of fire erupted from Sasuke's mouth, headed in Naruto's direction. The blonde cringed on reflex, but the flames only passed by him, crashing into a boulder behind him. An explosion of smoke followed, a ninja hopping out of the blast.

"I could have had him if you hadn't tipped him off, you dobe." Sasuke aimed his glare from Naruto to the Rain ninja roosted on the branch above them.

"So you figured out it was a genjutsu," stated the man, gripping the umbrella-like hat on his head. "How did you find me?"

"You got so comfortable relying on your jutsu to distract us that you didn't pay enough attention to your transformation. Odd for a boulder in the forest to not have any moss or plants growing on it. I knew there had to be someone hiding there."

_Of course, that rock_, thought Sakura, fishing a kunai from her holster. _I can't believe I missed that._

"Gah, I'm gonna rip you apart! You're gonna pay for makin' a fool out of me, believe it."

The small opening was swarming with shadow clones now, all of them bounding toward the Rain ninja. The man calmly lifted his hat while retrieving a wooden umbrella behind his back. He tossed them both into the air, the hovering funnels splicing into a shower of needles.

The weapons rained on the clones, demolishing them before any could progress toward their foe. Sakura worried the real Naruto would be caught in the assault, but her attention was captured by a rustle behind them. She knew this Rain ninja had teammates, and the presence she was sensing could be more enemies.

The kunoichi left Sasuke to assist Naruto and dashed toward the bush, tossing shuriken as she approached. There was a snap, and Sakura instinctively leapt to the side, barely missing the log that slammed onto the place she once stood.

_It was just a trap to lure me under the log,_ she inwardly reproached.

The girl turned her body to return to the battle behind her, but she only wobbled in place. Her eyes dropped to her feet, finding her sandals glued to a viscous black tar. She heaved her leg and twisted with all her might, but to no avail. _I'm-I'm stuck._

A whistle of air above alerted her to the wooden umbrella spinning above her. It was the same one which attacked Naruto – a weapon which showered its victim with spines of metal.

In one instant, the fan burst into a ball of fire. Sakura lowered her helplessly raised arms, making a mental note to thank Sasuke for the assist. Although she could not see what was transpiring, the clang of metal informed her that the battle was still going on. She wrestled her feet out of her lodged sandals and climbed onto the log beside her using her chakra.

She scrambled to the top, spotting Naruto first, struggling on his knees with needles jutting out of his clothing. Sasuke had destroyed the last of the exploding umbrellas and leapt to pursue the fleeing Rain ninja.

In the next second, a tree-sized centipede sliced through the space between the Uchiha and his enemy, its pincers snapping at Sasuke. The boy swung over a tree branch in retreat, reaching for his weapons as he did so. Sakura beat him to it, killing the creature with a barrage of her own shuriken. The monster flopped to the floor, the Rain ninja nowhere in sight.

Sasuke landed in the clearing with his teammates, his eyes roaming from the injured Naruto to Sakura standing atop a massive tree trunk. "What happened to you?" He raised his brow, noting his teammate's naked feet.

"My shoes are stuck," she sighed, glancing at her imprisoned sandals.

"I'll get them out," offered Sasuke. "You can help Naruto."

"I don't need help," asserted the blonde as Sasuke moved around the log. He suppressed a wince as he dislodged another needle. "I can handle this myself, believe it."

Sakura planted herself near him regardless. He made no objections as she worked to remove more needles, placing them in her bag to erase any trace that they had been there.

She understood the disappointment written on his face, imagining hers looking about the same.

It was only the first of five days they had in the forest, and they started it off with a battle like this? Not only had they easily fallen into the enemy's trap, but when it finally came time for a fight, they were both useless. Sakura was grateful for Sasuke, but it did not stop her from feeling guiltily weak in comparison. She was furious with herself. The girl knew she had to make up for this. The resolute look she caught in Naruto's cerulean eyes told her he was vowing the same thing.

"Well this isn't good," said Sasuke, handing Sakura her shoes when he reached them. "We just wasted half the morning basically running in place."

"Yeah," agreed Sakura, finishing with Naruto and sliding her sandals on. "We're still on the periphery of the forest, so we haven't covered any valuable distance. And what's worse is we've expended chakra too."

"If only he didn't run away like a little coward," gritted Naruto. "We coulda used him to get a scroll. And what was up with attacking us alone like that? Where was his team?"

"I think it's their own strategy," posited Sakura. "Have teammates split up to scout and test out the strength of other teams. It's a lot easier to ambush when it's just one person. They get to obtain information while the scroll-keeper stays safe until his members report back to him."

"That means we shouldn't rule out that they'll try to attack us again," said Sasuke. "Only this time it'll be all of them. We have to stay on our guard."

Naruto and Sakura firmly nodded before collecting their tossed shuriken and following their team leader to the trees once again. The squad was degrees more vigilant, diligently keeping their guard up. They moved slower because of it, yes, but they learnt to value caution above speed. They would not fall into the hands of their foes again.

A shrill cry halted the gennin as they dove to the ground for cover. They didn't know whether this was a rouse or another team falling, but they would be sure that their own path was secure before continuing.

"What do you think guys?" asked Naruto, peeking his head over a shrub. "You think we're safe?"

"I don't sense anyone nearby," said Sasuke. "I think some other group just got taken down."

The pained howl echoed once again, freezing the ninja in place just as they were about to resume their journey. The sound reverberated several miles away, certainly beyond the reach of their eyes or chakra senses. But it had the same paralytic effect. Death polluted the silent air they breathed, even they could feel it. In that very moment, someone was probably being tortured for a scroll, and could die because of it. Would the same fate soon befall them as well?

The blast of wind struck without cause.

Before the ninja managed to brace themselves against it, they were suctioned into the air current, their bodies flailing haphazardly like leaves to the wind. Sakura struggled through her constant spinning and the whipped hair against her face to find her teammates, but all she could register was blurs of green and brown as she whizzed through the forest terrain.

Before long, Sakura's body grated against dirt, toppling over before finally stopping against a tree. She was not certain whether she should have resented or thanked the botanical structure, soothing her achy shoulder as she labored to her feet. Shaking away her dizziness, the girl scanned her surroundings for any hint of blue or orange that was Sasuke and Naruto.

She zeroed her gaze on two figures approaching her. Neither looked familiar, and she arched her body in preparation for attack. Her eyes narrowed, now noting the horizontally zigzagging notches on metal that symbolized the Hidden Grass.

The two men halted, and she waited to hear what they had to say. They had her outnumbered. Surely they would have anticipated that she would sooner negotiate than take them on, especially if their bottom-line was getting a scroll which they could not be certain she held. She was ready for an attack regardless. Maybe if she held out long enough, her teammates would find her in time.

The ninja leaned over, their bodies contorting as they blankly stared at the kunoichi. Sakura took a reflexive step backward, eyes frozen wide as she watched these deforming men undergo their sickly transformation. Within seconds, two enormous snakes stood in place of the ninja, smacking their forked tongues against their lips as their yellow slitted eyes glowered at their latest prey.

The kunai in her hands shook. She stared unblinkingly at the beasts before her, unprepared for what she had just witnessed. A corner of her mind heatedly screamed for her to move, but it could not thaw out the numbness in her trembling body. There was something in these slithering creatures' eyes, something that made them part of an evil sickness that was beyond themselves.

One reptile parted its mouth, bearing its fangs in a twisted grin. In that one gesture, her survival instincts ripped through her and she pounced onto a nearby tree, scathingly missing snake teeth. The other animal launched itself at the girl, and she pushed off the trunk onto another tree, tossing shuriken in her bound. The snake swept its tail at the blades, easily blocking them.

Sakura continued darting frantically through tree branches as she scrambled to escape these predators. She had the advantage of speed, with the help of her chakra. But she would not be able to keep this up indefinitely. She needed to stop these beasts. A blast shuriken in the head would be the end of them, but she would need to distract them for that tactic to work.

She fought to calm herself, dimly realizing that she could not devise a plan if she remained panic-stricken. The kunoichi fished into her weapons' case. Kunai and shuriken wouldn't work unless these snakes were pinned or distracted. The needles she collected from the other Rain ninja would not penetrate reptilian scales. Ninja wire could possibly tangle the snakes, but she doubted they had the tactile strength to withstand these behemoths. She would use this as a last resort.

Her fingers flitted past the wad of paper bombs, and she was belted by an idea. The girl armed herself with a singular exploding page and the knowledge that snakes did not have eyelids to defend against light. With one blinding flash of the bomb, the disoriented snakes were easy targets. Sakura assailed the creatures with her shuriken, and they slinked to the ground with a thud.

The panting pinkette peered at the fallen reptiles apprehensively, observing no movement. She hastily extracted her shuriken from their heads and raced in the direction the wind had tossed her, desperately hoping she would run across her teammates as she did so.

As she fluttered through the highest canopy of the trees, Sakura could not shake the tightness in her chest. Her situation certainly was worthy of anxiety. Being separated from her teammates made her feel a little too exposed. She also worried about their condition. But there was something else.

Her attackers were not human. Those snakes had been posing as Grass ninja, but the question was why? They must have had a summoner. What were this person's motives? Were there other reptilian giants roaming the deadly forest?

The mud-colored snake which flitted out of the corner of her vision answered her question. The gennin circled back, careful to remain in the highest reaches of the trees to avoid detection. There was a ninja seated atop the creature, and with a gust of wind a second snake appeared, even larger than the three she had seen that day.

_That blast of air just now...so that was what knocked us earlier. The force of a summoning jutsu. For it to carry enough power to accomplish that..._

Her eyes flickered to two boys perched on opposite sides of the battle area. It was Naruto and Sasuke at long last. After observing further, Sakura knew why the ninja had called another snake. The smaller one was falling from the tower of bush, she presumed because one of her friends must have slain it.

The new snake launched itself at Naruto, brandishing its tail to slam the blonde through the branches like a ragdoll. Sakura clamped her palm to her mouth to suppress a gasp of panic. She could not afford to give away her position. It was the only advantage they had right now.

Her gaze darted to Sasuke. He was a frozen spectator, watching as his partner was buffeted by snake's rampage. What was he doing? Why wasn't he _moving_?

Naruto finally managed to fight back, though his attacks seemed different, fiercer and degrees more powerful. Even after being brutally beaten, crashed through trees and assaulted with streams of fire, the blonde continued rabidly attacking the oversized snake. He even managed to halt the reptile from chewing off Sasuke, with the Uchiha's only response being to stand absently. She couldn't understand what was happening here. Was Sasuke under some sort of genjutsu while Naruto decided to zealously compensate for his absence?

Her thoughts shifted to the dark-haired woman propped atop the hissing snake. Sakura felt a draft of cold beat through her as she watched the smiling Grass ninja. The woman dripped of death, the killing intent in her eyes communicated despite her distance from the girl. Sakura could not imagine facing down such an opponent in battle, though she knew she would have to. It suddenly made sense why Sasuke was petrified as he was.

She was jerked into alert when she spotted the Grass-nin lash out an inhumanly long tongue to ensnare her blonde friend. The boy struggled in her grasp, but could not escape. Her eyes drifted to Sasuke, waiting for him to finally make his move. Even she was scared of the ninja, but surely fear alone wouldn't be enough to have him allow his teammate to be maimed right before his eyes would it?

Sakura could make out very little sounds, only seeing an opened palm slam into Naruto's stomach, and then his unconscious body sailing off the tree. She could not wait for Sasuke any longer...

The kunoichi dove from her position, bypassing the Grass ninja and jetting toward her teammate. She managed to reach him in time, landing safely on a tree branch with his body.

"So, the little prey has finally come out of its hiding place," chuckled the woman while Sakura rested Naruto securely. "I wonder if you'll be any fun to play with." The giant snake disappeared in an explosion of smoke at the command of its master.

Sakura's eyes narrowed at her opponent, though she evaded her eyes. It seemed the ninja had known of her presence all along. She would make her regret mistakenly leaving her to watch. Because while the fight was in full swing, Sakura had concocted a plan.

"What's wrong with you, Sasuke?" she called as she swiftly climbed to his level. "Are you really doing this right now? Just sit back and watch as your teammates fall?"

"..."

"Say what you'd like about Naruto – that he's a pest, that he gets in the way, that you're so much of a better ninja. But at least he's _doing_ something! Not sitting back like a coward."

Her odds of victory would be so much better with Sasuke dealing blows as well. But the boy's face remained the same, his eyes wide with shock. What had this demon-woman done to him? _Looks like it's time for plan B._

She turned to the Grass ninja, their eyes meeting. Sakura furrowed her eyebrows. "I think I deserve the courtesy of fighting you rather than just a clone."

The form of the woman before them melted into mud, the real ninja leaping from behind a tree. "You knew I substituted a mud clone, ay? And I thought I moved so quickly."

The girl shuddered as the Grass-nin spoke, both from her eyes and the fact that she had managed to replace herself with a clone at such a blinding speed. "I didn't see it directly. But I could tell it wasn't you from-from the eyes." She averted her gaze, swearing she would no longer look into those cold, sickly eyes that made her breath catch in her throat.

"Hmmm, what a soul-reader you are."

The girl fisted, steeling herself for the ensuing battle. She knew what she was going to do. All that was left was to see if it would work.

A wave of chakra washed the muscles of her feet, and in one dash she disappeared.

It took a split second for the girl's leg to collide into Grass-nin in a kick. The woman's body swerved off balance but she remained standing. Sakura pushed herself off of the surrounding branches, darting through the trees at an intense velocity to avoid retaliation.

The Grass-nin spun in place as she kept up with Sakura's movements, not realizing what was planted on her clothes. The embedded needles with mini paper bombs attached detonated in seconds, the impact hurling the ninja off the tree. In the same breath, Sakura torpedoed into the woman from the opposite direction, her stomach colliding harshly into Sakura's heel.

The girl hustled off to regain her momentum in time for another implanted paper bomb to explode, which she followed up with another super-speeded kick. She continued to use this tactic, and with it she was able to bounce her opponent around the forest like a pinball, her focus uninterrupted by the cracks and breaks she heard from the woman. She could not afford to be sympathetic. If they were to survive the Grass-nin's bloodlust, she had to be fully committed to deal as much damage as possible.

But now she was running low on supplies. And there was one more thing she needed to try. One more trap she had set up.

The girl used one last kick to toss her opponent vertically into the air. With one aimed throw of her last set of needles, Sakura triggered a barrage of shuriken lined with ninja wire to shoot toward their victim. The wires encircled the sailing mass, binding her arms and legs. The woman's body continued its trajectory upward, finally hitting and ricocheting off of a branch. With that collision, the series of explosives tagged to the tree limb discharged, a blast of heated air sending the body careening down the canopy.

Forcing chakra into her feet for a final burst, Sakura jetted off another branch in line with her opponent's path and grappled onto her. Their bodies were oppositely oriented, Sakura's hands digging into the ninja's legs while her feet wrapped the woman's torso, aiming her head squarely into the oncoming tree branch.

Sakura tensed as they crashed into the bark, the Grass-nin's skull breaking through wood on impact. The Leaf ninja struggled to loosen her rigid muscles before leaping away from the corpse. She pressed against her knees, erratically huffing as she placated her starving lungs with oxygen.

It took a few moments of panting before the current situation finally hit her.

She had really done it. She had actually managed to defeat this demon-woman. Her technique had worked. She had been doubtful, never having performed what she had just done before. Her knowledge of forces and momentum supported her plan in theory, but she felt a whisper of pride on realizing she had been able to physically do it. Admittedly the last move was inspired by Lee's Primary Lotus, but she was still pleased she could adapt it to her own skills.

_The Exploding Lotus..._ She chuckled at the thought.

A crackling noise caught her attention, her head rising from her knees to pinpoint the source. She could not abate the gasp which escaped her lips as she watched the limp body sunk in the branch twitch to life. Hands thrust against wood, the woman's cranium dislodging from bark.

Her face was bizarrely blank, deadened eyes resting on the trembling gennin, her lips breaking into a twisted grin.

"That was quite the run you gave me." The woman patted her clothing of flakes of wood. "But you didn't really think it would be that easy did you?"

The Grass-nin flickered before the girl, smashing her fist into Sakura's stomach. The girl keeled over, nearly gagging before the ninja followed up with a heel to her jaw. The pinkette staggered on her feet, the world splotchy. She was too dazed to defend against the next onslaught of blows, her body getting battered before the snake-summoner crashed her into a tree trunk. She rebounded off the stump, flaccidly falling onto the branch.

"Not very handy in a raw battle are you? Without a premeditated strategy in mind, it seems you're as helpless as a baby kitten."

Sakura ignored the irritating redundancy, wheezing and rasping for air. Her body throbbed in random places. She barely managed to lift her head off her stomach to watch what the Grass-nin would do next. Was she going to do away with her and kill her? The woman had not hesitated in tossing Naruto to his death earlier.

There was a flicker of black, the glint of metal, and then jets of red.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

* * *

**You could tell I completely skipped over the written portion of the chuunin exams here. Just reminding everyone to safely assume the events went on as in the anime (unless I say otherwise), from meeting Kabuto to the point that Anko crashed into the room. The fight between Sasuke and Lee never happened though. Just clarifying. I don't like wasting space in the story to explain events most of us remember from the anime. Plus I imagine it would make it quite a bore to read...**


	14. Tainted

******Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**********RE-WRITE: 3/16/12**

* * *

_**Tainted**_

The clink of metal, mash of punches and flickers of flames was all Sakura could blearily register. The several minutes which passed without her sustaining further damage told her the Grass ninja detracted from attacking her. Her gasping body shakily made it to her knees, a blur of blue drifting in and out of sight.

Sasuke had entered the struggle.

She staggered to her feet before collapsing onto her rear. The girl hadn't been beaten too badly, but immediate movement was still difficult. Her vision began clearing, and she desperately wanted to assist her comrade against this monster. She looked up in time to catch the Grass ninja, fastened to a tree with a flood of fire funneling into her. The ferocity of the blow blistered through the tree trunk, a wave of shrieks echoing as the flames charred their mark.

Sakura exhaled a breath of relief but could not inhale, struck with the remembrance of the she-demon's unnatural invulnerability to fatal attacks. She had managed to survive a bash to the cranium of lethal force. There was no telling whether a jet of fire would destroy her.

Her heart thundered in her ears as she watched the limp body, the woman's long dark hair a lifeless curtain over her face. Was it finally over?

Hope soared within the girl too soon, when she heard the prickly snap of the ninja wire. The snake-woman had emerged from her bindings, a wide maniacal grin ripped across her pale face. Sakura's eyes darted to Sasuke standing a few feet before the Grass-nin, heaving from exertion. He had undoubtedly expended quite a bit of chakra to keep the woman at bay. The boy straightened, prepared to continue, but with one hand sign from the woman and his body instantly wavered in place. Sakura could see effort in his face as he struggled to seize control of his body, but to no avail. It was like there were metallic puppet strings bounding him in place. And now he was a sitting target.

"Such a mastery of the Sharingan at so young an age." The Grass ninja's grin grew sharper, her chuckle pouring like acid on the ears. "You're certainly his brother all right. I even think your eyes might be even better than Itachi's. You'll do nicely."

The more this demon spoke the more confused Sakura became. The nature of her words was lost to her, but the desire it dripped with was irreproachable. What made matters even more bewildering was this "woman's" pitch. Somewhere along the way, _she_ now sounded like a _he_.

"Who are you?" demanded Sasuke, still wrestling with his body. "What do you want?"

"My name is Orochimaru. As for what I want, well I have no plans of telling you that much until we meet again, Sasuke-kun. But not before I leave you with a little parting gift."

One step from the bloodthirsty woman sparked Sakura into action. The girl rose from the ground, tossing her last supply of paper bombs into the trunk of Sasuke's tree. The lumber blasted apart, the tree creaking as it began to fall. Sakura's adrenaline-rushed body sped up the descending bark, making a grab for Sasuke while the Grass-nin also leapt off the dilapidated structure.

Sakura and Sasuke landed on an adjacent branch, their meeting eyes communicating the same plea. _We have to get out of here!_

The girl's body spasmed, unresponsive to her commands to continue forward. Her limbs felt like a thousand pounds had been added to each one, and it took all her effort to remain standing. She could not imagine any sort of progressive movement. She looked to Sasuke, seeing the same reaction in him. And she knew they had been caught in the enemy's genjutsu.

"So you do know how to react on instinct," sniggered the Grass-nin, pulling off her/his? disintegrating skin-mask. "But I'm afraid you've accomplished little."

Sakura's emerald orbs faced Orochimaru's snake-like yellow ones before them, her body quaking with even more fear. His eyes reflected death, and hatred, and every immoral sickness plaguing humanity. She had never known such terror. Her blood was like ice in her veins, freezing her in place.

And in that moment of panic, a flame – small inside her all along – whipped through her frozen frame like wildfire. Her chakra core became a furnace, her body's instinctual response to its impending death.

This spike did nothing to free her internal imprisonment, but Sakura was an ace at chakra control. She knew she could channel this tsunami of energy into a concerted channel to free herself. Her body was trapped because of a powerful genjutsu, and an equally powerful alteration of chakra might be enough to break it.

The invisible links which chained her body obliterated with one fierce wave of concentration. Sakura spared a thought of thanks to Kurenai for all her genjutsu training before charging toward Orochimaru. It was a foolhardy move. But with no more weapons, no teammates, no time, and limited chakra, she only had foolhardy moves left in her.

Before she could raise her fist for the first swing, the pinkette found herself hammered against a tree trunk. Her body was unmoving, pressed by the dark-haired man's arms. He stared into her eyes, chuckling through her discomfort.

"Well you're just full of surprises aren't you, my dear? Tell me your name."

Her bottom lip quivered, mute with fear.

"Sakura!" called Sasuke behind them. "You, don't touch her! Just get away from her!"

"Ahhh," sang Orochimaru, his finger twirling her hair. "So you're Sakura-chan...that explains this." Her pink locks slipped through his fingers.

"You know," he continued, "I only decided to entertain you earlier because you were able to see through my mud clone so easily. And just when I thought you were a waste of my time, you go and break through my impenetrable genjutsu. How intriguing."

His peeking fangs trickled shivers through the pinned girl as he smiled that twisted smile. It was the same one he had given Sasuke only moments ago.

"Maybe I should keep you too," he purred, caressing her cheek with his icy fingertips, bringing their faces closer together as he spoke. "I've always had an eye for talent, dear Sakura-chan, and there is more to you than meets the eye." He searched her terrified eyes with glee before frowning. "Hm, it appears someone has already claimed you for themselves. But it matters not. I suppose I can still put my mark on you regard-"

"I said stay away from her!"

Sasuke's strained command finally earned Orochimaru's attention, as he peered at the boy beyond his shoulder. "Ah, Sasuke-kun, I didn't peg you for the overprotective type. And my genjutsu will be dissipating shortly, so I suppose I'm left with a decision aren't I? A pity...I already had my heart set on the Sharingan."

The snake-ninja snapped his head an entire 180 degrees, his stretching neck slithering to reach Sasuke. One bite to the boy's shoulder had his body seizing in pain, an agonizing scream exploding from his throat as he fell to his knees.

Her blood drained from her face, Sakura's horrorstricken eyes glued to the scene. She barely noticed Orochimaru's neck slink back into position, only realizing his leave when her trembling body slumped to the floor.

"His chances for survival are slim. Do take good care of him, Sakura-chan," the man chuckled, disappearing into the tree branch. "Soon Sasuke-kun will want to seek me out...for power. Until then."

Her body was a petrified lump even after the figure vanished, a blank stare in Sasuke's general direction. It took some prodding in the form of another shriek before she could feel her heart beating again, jumping with a start.

She rushed to her teammate's aid, grabbing his shoulders to steady his quivering body. His entire frame was tense, his teeth grounding together to suppress his anguish.

"Sasuke?" she squeaked desperately, eyes wide.

The boy fell into her chest, one hand to his neck with the other squeezing Sakura's, gripping the remnants of his consciousness for dear life. "S-Sakura," he pleaded. The eruption of pain was excruciating. Screaming didn't help. Clenching didn't help. All he could do was sob into the girl's shoulder.

"Sasuke," she breathed, feigning reassurance. She could feel his heart erratically hammering against hers as she used her free hand to cradle the back of his head. "I-It's okay. You're-you're going to be all right."

His whimpering only grew louder, and Sakura clamped onto him to stop him from flailing. His body felt much too hot as he squirmed against her. And after ripping out one final cry, Sasuke collapsed into her arms.

She continued to hold him, her tears spilling onto his shoulders. "Sasuke," she whispered. "What did that man do to you? W-What...what do I do now?"

* * *

Sakura's gently bobbing head snapped upward with a start, disoriented as her eyes whirled around the space. There was the overturned cave of roots that doubled as her team's refuge point and camp. She searched the small clearing before them, and then the surrounding trees.

The kunoichi exhaled in relief, rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes. _Thank goodness we weren't attacked. I can't afford to dose off like that again. Not while... _Her gaze rested on Sasuke and Naruto beside her, unconscious just as she had left them.

The first rays of gold wisped through the wall of roots. The girl's mouth stretched into a yawn as she tried to ignore her lost night's sleep. She prepared another moistened towel and rested it on Sasuke's searing forehead.

_His fever hasn't broken yet..._

She clutched the soiled rag she had just replaced.

Team 7's clash with Orochimaru the day before had left them with two members down, one of them sporting a dark marking in the shape of three tomoe near the back of his neck. It was only after Sakura got the boys to safety that she realized exactly whom they had just tangled with. They never stood a chance against the infamous snake-user, former Konoha shinobi and one of the three Legendary Sannin. Sakura deduced that he must have been the one interfering with the chuunin exams all along. Was he also behind the kidnapping during the training mission?

Sakura bit her lip, forcing the image of the sannin out of her mind. His glassy yellow eyes still made her shudder on reflex.

She fought to keep her train of thought linear. Her current objective would be to guard her teammates until they awakened. She was a bit worse for wear, being bruised and sleep-deprived, but she had some measures in place in the event of an attack. But if they were ambushed, she would be on her own.

Her fingers twisted into the cloth in her hands, wringing out the cold remnants of moisture.

There would be no Naruto to occupy her opponent while she devised a plan, no Sasuke to catch any observation she missed. She could no longer rely on their heavy-hitting ninjutsu, and lacked any of her own. Taijutsu, basic genjutsu and a meager supply of tools – that was what she had at her disposal. That was what she had to work with earlier when she fought Orochimaru alone. And look how well that turned out.

Her tightening knuckles grew white.

If only she had intervened in the fight before Naruto got hurt. If only she had held out longer against Orochimaru so she could have helped Sasuke. If only she had devised a better strategy than just charging the snake-sannin when she had the chance. If only she had amassed a better arsenal of ninjustu to use before any of this even started.

If only she wasn't so dependent, so weak. Orochimaru had been right to call her his prey.

Her hands dropped the rag and clapped her tear-streaked cheeks. Her haggard mind still pressed the issue, and she slapped herself again. And then again.

_Snap out of it...beating yourself up helps no one...focus on the task at hand...you're useless if you keep worrying like this...you can do this, you have to._

Her self-help phrases chorused over and over in her thoughts before she finally started to half-believe them. With a massage to her temple, she steeled herself for the day.

The kunoichi twined her hands into a seal, focusing her chakra to scan for a presence. She did this several times an hour as a precaution against an ambush.

For the first time, her search produced a positive result.

Her hand latched onto her kunai defensively. All was quiet, the clearing before their hiding place empty. These foes – she estimated two or three of them – must have been lying in wait for a while now. She suppressed her dip of inadequacy and considered her options.

Her original contingency plan for an ambush was the trap she had laid. Of course, an enemy lying in wait would probably notice her setup by then, as opposed to an overconfident ninja rushing in.

Fortunately, she had an emergency plan for her emergency plan.

Forming her practiced hand signs, the pinkette zeroed-in on one of the faint signatures she registered. She could feel her chakra subtly pouring into the ninja, calculatingly altering its flow.

"Are you going to stay hiding all day?" called the girl, having cast her genjutsu. She crawled from the cave of roots into the clearing, kunai bared. "Show yourselves."

A wave of chuckles rebounded through the space, coming from everywhere and yet no place in particular. "The little girl's got some courage in her. That won't last long."

"The kid set a trap out there," whispered one of the ninja, "which is probably why she wants us to come out rather than try taking us by surprise. Zaku, Kin, make sure you two don't fall into it."

"Yeah yeah. I saw that a mile away."

"Really, Dosu. Do you honestly believe we're that foolish?"

The enemy ninja leapt into the clearing, the female member inadvertently tripping a line of wire in the process.

"Kin, I told you to-"

The ground exploded beneath the dark-haired girl, her body suddenly ensnared in ninja-wire. Sakura severed another cord, springing a massive log onto the girl. Before it could collide with its target, the girl's masked comrade met the bark with his opened palm and the lumber shattered apart.

"Yeah you're not foolish at all, Kin, just pathetic."

"I thought you saw the trap," said the mummy-like ninja who had saved her. "Yet you walked right into it."

"I _did_ see it, Dosu," asserted the girl, flopping on the ground as she struggled against her bindings. "I avoided it completely. I don't understand how this happened, now untie me!"

"Hm, I see. Quite clever." The one called Dosu turned to Sakura. "You cast some sort of a genjutsu on Kin and concealed your trap by having her perceive it in a different place."

Sakura's expression only hardened on her foes. She hoped her poker face hid her disappointment that her trap only captured an enemy, instead of incapacitating one like she had planned for.

"You haven't trained all that much in genjutsu, have you? Otherwise you would have been able to make it powerful enough to ensnare more than one person. How unfortunate for you..."

"Whatever, Dosu," interjected the navy-haired ninja, ignoring his captured teammate as he sauntered forward. "Let's just kill that Sasuke kid and get out of here."

Sakura's eyes narrowed, her grip on her kunai tightening. "You're ninja from the Hidden Sound. What do you want with Sasuke? Did Orochimaru send you?"

The two approaching ninja hesitated. The Leaf ninja took this as an affirmative response.

"Then you can answer my questions. What does he want with Sasuke? And why did he put that strange mark on his neck?"

"He-He did what?"

"Don't bother with this chick. We'll just kill her and then deal with the Uchiha."

A sigh whistled through Dosu's bandage-covered mouth. "I suppose you are right, Zaku. We shall proceed with our objective then."

Sakura tensed as the two Sound ninja charged toward her. Her odds weren't in her favor. But with a friend's life hanging in the balance (along with her own) she would persevere to the end, until there was no breath left in-

"Leaf Hurricane!"

A tornado of green whipped into the ninja, repelling them from the pinkette. The whirling body of green settled into a frozen stance between the girl and her opponents.

"Lee-san," she gasped in relief. "What are you doing here?"

Rock Lee grinned over his shoulder. "I will always appear any time you are in danger, Sakura-san. That is a promise. I shall defend you against these ruffians."

"But you shouldn't...I mean, on this test we're enemies."

"Sakura-san, no matter the circumstance, you and I are friends. Comrades in arms, always. And I will protect you until I die."

The candy-haired girl continued to scrutinize the smiling boy in confusion. Could she really ask him to risk his life for her? But with her team's lives at stake, how could she refuse? It wasn't as if he would allow her to renege his offer either way.

"Thank you, Lee-san."

His smile stretched into a giddy grin as he turned his starry eyes away from her.

"We have to be smart about this," she asserted, her serious tone sobering him. The two gennin now stood side by side.

"Indeed. I have seen the masked-one's jutsu before."

"When he attacked Kabuto-san you mean." The pinkette recalled Dosu's missed swing at Kabuto before the first test of the exams, and how the failed hit mysteriously forced the Leaf gennin to his knees. "I still don't really understand what had happened that time. We have to stay on our guard."

"I shall occupy the masked-one while you deal with the other. Please be careful."

With a nod, the pair launched themselves at their opponents. Zaku raised his hands and a pressurized gust of wind blasted at Sakura, slamming her into a tree before she managed to get close.

Meanwhile, Lee twirled into Dosu with a kick, which he dodged. The Sound-nin swung at Lee, also missing. Before the gennin initiated another assault he abruptly lost his footing, which his opponent exploited with a heel to the stomach. The boy held his abdomen, bounding backwards before the Sound-nin managed another blow.

Sakura scrambled to her feet as fast as her bruised body would allow, her concerned gaze shifting to her staggering ally. There was an expected trail of crimson from his mouth, and another one oddly down his ear. Her mind circled back to moments before the chuunin written test, when Kabuto had been attacked. He had grappled onto his ear after the missed punch as well.

_He's damaging their ears?_

The girl shifted to Dosu, eying the metallic device strapped to his hands. Not the wisest idea, considering she was neglecting her own enemy. A second wave of air was her painful wakeup call, and her body crashed into the dirt before hitting yet another tree trunk.

She soothingly rubbed her bloodied arms, not as quick to get up as the first time. This Zaku was already starting to unnerve her, especially with that ever-present smug smirk hanging on his face.

So it seemed both these Hidden Sound ninja had sound-based justu. No surprise there. Zaku's was obvious – he had a hole in each hand that allowed him to emit a condensed, highly pressurized funnel of air. Dosu's was more difficult to decipher. Whatever he was doing was fast and sightless, with the result being an injured ear and loss of balance.

With anatomy being one of her favorite reading topics, she was well aware of the inner-workings of the ear. The inner ear had special hardware – the vestibular system – designed for maintaining balance and keeping objects in focus when the head is moving. Both of these are essential in battle, especially for a taijutsu user like Lee. With that impaired, his progression in the fight would only end in incapacitation. And the invisible source of all this damage was...?

"Sound vibrations." The girl turned to Dosu. "That's what it is, isn't it?"

The mummy-faced ninja only sniggered. "Give the little lady a prize. Yes you are correct. That's what makes my attacks so elegantly lethal, because it travels at the speed of sound and disrupts the inner ear's balance system even if my punches miss. I imagine our little friend is probably feeling quite dizzy and nauseous. Best you don't even try to get back up, boy."

Sakura's eyes rested on Lee. The gennin appeared very strained, despite his lack of physical injuries. He motioned to get to his feet but only landed on his knees and started throwing up. He was in no condition to continue.

"Lee-san, you have to stop-"

"I do not care." The dark-haired boy took up a wobbly stance, preparing to continue. "Your tricks shall not deter me. I shall keep fighting."

"Don't do this," pleaded Sakura, forcing his eyes to her. "I can't let you push yourself this way. Please stop."

"I cannot," he answered simply, his doe eyes uncharacteristically hard. "You are someone precious to me, Sakura-san. I made you a promise – I will protect you until I die."

The girl's gaze wavered under his, nodding. He would fight with her and he would also die with her, she imagined. Perhaps there was something she could do to spare him more pain, to protect him. She didn't know if the idea would work, but for his sake she would take that chance.

"When the time is right, use the Primary Lotus."

Lee gave an affirmative grunt, though visibly confused. Sakura disappeared inside the cave behind them, emerging with Sasuke draped on her back.

"If you Sound ninja want to hurt Sasuke, you have to catch me first." The girl leapt onto a branch and flitted through the trees with her quarry.

Zaku quickly pursued, but Dosu was blocked by a staggering Lee.

"Don't you understand the meaning of the word 'hopeless'? Although it's a miracle you can even stand, you won't be able to move by the time I'm through with you."

The man charged into another swing at Lee, who raised both arms to counter it. Despite the block, he could feel the sound waves assaulting his bleeding ear drums, and the boy was easily forced off kilter and thrown to the ground.

Lee's bandaged fingers gripped the earth, propping up his body. Dosu watched the desperate boy with mild fascination, scoffing when he finally managed to stand. "You are indeed a very sorry sight. Why do you continue to fight so vehemently on behalf of someone who has just abandoned you?"

"You do not speak of Sakura-san that way," asserted Lee. "She has not abandoned me. I have faith in her. And I shall protect her until-"

"Until you die," sneered Dosu. "Yes, you've mentioned that. I'll be more than happy to help you keep your promise of death right now."

The Sound-nin rushed forward, but Lee managed to be faster. He could feel his strength returning as he knocked back his opponent's blow with a Leaf Hurricane. Before Dosu could recover, the boy connected his heel into his jaw. The man sailed into the air and suddenly found himself enwrapped in white.

"Primary Lotus!"

Lee was able to easily sink Dosu's head into the ground before rebounding off of him. He held his knees as he eased his panting body. "How did this...but I don't understand..."

To his greater surprise, Sakura surfaced from the cave of roots, looking equally fatigued.

"Sakura-san? But...how are you here? I saw you run off with...what is going on?"

The girl smiled through his confusion. "It's amazing what you can do with a combination of clone and transformation jutsu. The Sasuke and Sakura you saw running away were really my clones. That Zaku guy isn't too bright. Even without being injured, I don't have the physical strength to carry Sasuke so fast. I just needed a way to distract him so I could help you get your balance back."

His brow only creased further in perplexity.

"I needed to be free so I could perform a genjutsu on you. Kurenai-sensei taught me how to affect sensations in either the eyes or the ears. So I kind of used a genjutsu to mess with your balance so it could get back to normal and you could fight. Do you see what I mean?"

"Uh-oh, oh yes, that makes perfect sense," said Lee. "Brilliant work, Sakura-san. Nothing less from you!"

The pinkette smiled weakly as the boy-in-green beamed at her. "Th-Thank you, Lee-san. You did wonderfully as well. I can't thank you enough for all your help. But I have to take care of the rest on my own, all right?"

"No." Lee stepped forward, his legs quaking as he hobbled closer. "I must help you with the other one."

"That's impossible. Your ears are far too damaged now, and that genjutsu isn't powerful enough to have a lasting effect. I can tell it's already starting to fade."

Lee collapsed to his knees, his half-lidded eyes fixed on Sakura. "Y-You have been w-weakened and injured. I-I cannot allow you to..."

The girl continued smiling softly at him, even as his body slunk limply to the floor. "Thank you, Lee-san. I owe you so much."

"But the fool didn't manage to do much."

Sakura's widened gaze snapped upward on hearing Dosu's voice. But the mummy-ninja was taken out with Lee's Lotus. How was he standing pristinely before her now?

"I figured out your little rouse sooner than you thought," laughed Zaku, crouched near Kin with his palms embedded in the dirt. "I used my ultrasonic waves to soften the earth. It saved Dosu from that kid's lame attack. Taijutsu is so outdated."

Zaku removed his hands and freed Kin from her bindings finally. Sakura took a hesitant step backwards, taking in the sight of her foes. She was now effectively _worse_ off than when she had started. There were three enemies to combat, her ally could no longer move, and her own body was low on chakra and had already been battered enough by Zaku's previous attacks.

"I'll handle the girl," announced Zaku with a smirk. "She's gonna pay for calling me stupid."

So that's what she had to do then. She would face these Sound ninja one by one and fight to defeat each, though she would sooner end up dead in the process. She knew it was hopeless. But there was still the original plan: hold up the enemy until Sasuke or Naruto finally awoke. She stepped toward Zaku clinging onto that hope...and silently praying her team wouldn't be greeted by the sight of her mangled corpse after this was over.

With her next step, the navy-haired boy fired a high-pressure blast of wind that sent Sakura crashing into yet another tree. She gasped as she struggled back up, arms cradling her chest. Her ribs burned beneath her breast, and she suspected that last collision must have bruised them.

Pushing chakra into her feet, she dashed toward Zaku before he could knock her back down again, zigzagging as she drew near. The Sound-nin raised his arms regardless, but instead of creating a concentrated funnel of air, a tsunami of torrents exploded from his palms. The expansive attack was not intense enough to torpedo Sakura into bark, but it was enough to hammer her to the ground.

So speed was useless.

She hung her head, teary eyes watching the dirt pressed under her palms. She prided herself on her speed in these exams, and had been training up with leg weights to better rely on it. Yet here, she still wasn't fast enough to strike without getting blown away. But what else could she do but somehow scramble into close-ranged combat? She couldn't do anything else.

She sensed a peak in chakra, and she knew Zaku was going to sweep her away again, before she could even get to her feet. That only made the tears well up faster. She was tired of being tossed about like an inconsequential leaf to the winds, tired of the constant abuse, tired of that ninja's damn smirk. Seriously, didn't he know how to use his fancy jutsu and _not_ look like a condescending prick?

The gush of air whistled toward her, and out of instinct and sheer frustration, she pooled chakra to her palms and the soles of her feet and locked herself to the floor. The blast consumed her but she held fast in her position.

Zaku discontinued his attack seconds later, and the kunoichi charged into one of her own. He gathered more chakra and executed his technique again. Sakura braced her feet against the ground with chakra once again, withstanding the blast until its end.

In one more bound she stood before her wide-eyed opponent. She jammed a kunai into the hole in one of his palms, earning herself a loud shriek and punch to the jaw. Her stance wavered, and before the patches of dark could clear from her vision, fingers clamped onto her forehead and an invisible forced pounded her into the dirt.

She skated several feet against the rocky surface before her body finally came to a halt. The girl pressed against the floor but her torso remained fixed to the ground. She was officially out of strength, and would now be punished because of it.

"You crazy little...why I oughta..."

A boot to the stomach toppled her onto her side. She exhaled in pain, wincing as she held the area. Two more blows to her bruised ribs and she was all but swallowing for air, her body shaking.

"S-Sakura-san." The desperate whisper came from somewhere above her, and she knew it had been Rock Lee. Even lying half-conscious in the dirt, he still made her wellbeing his main concern. But there was nothing he could, nothing she could do. And now...

"That's enough Zaku," commanded Dosu. "Our objective is Sasuke. You can kill this girl after we're through with him."

The navy-haired ninja tsked, motioning away from the beaten girl. This was really happening. They were going to murder Sasuke.

Her last kunai slid into her hands before she even realized she was pouncing at Zaku. She lodged the knife into his foot and tackled the ninja to the ground. She managed one clean punch to his face then bit down on his arm before the tables were turned and he wrestled on top of her.

With his good arm still pinched between her teeth, Zaku swung at her with the bloodied hand she had previously stabbed. She didn't move. His blows grew frenzied now, knuckles meeting skin as the Sound-nin pounded her head into submission. The girl's eyes squeezed shut, hot liquid trickling down her bruising face. She held on a while longer before the final swing dislodged her. Zaku kicked the desperate pinkette off of him before scrambling to his feet.

"She's nuts. Totally nuts! You're gonna regret what you've done."

The kunoichi spat the liquid iron out of her mouth as she rose to meet Zaku's raised palms. Her vision was splotchy, but she knew what was going to happen to her. Despite the eminent danger, her body could not react. It took all her strength just to sit up.

There was a spike of chakra, and then a blur of colors flitted before her.

The kunoichi shook her head, blinking away the visual anomalies. The two standing on the periphery were hazed, but she could clearly make out the purple figure in the center of the formation.

"I-Ino-san...?"

"For the last time, Sakura..." The blonde's sky blues eyes peered over her shoulder to meet Sakura's emerald ones. "...it's just Ino. Say it with me now."

* * *

With the appearance of Team 10, the odds were degrees more evened. Shikamaru paralyzed Dosu with his Shadow Possession Jutsu and Ino commandeered Kin's body while Chouji used his Human Boulder to counter Zaku's pressurized jutsu. For a brief period, it was a stalemate...until the stationary pendulum finally swung to the Sound yet again.

"Ino, look out!"

A funnel of air blasted toward Kin/Ino, and Chouji rolled into the gust in time to dissipate some of the damage. Both he and the possessed Kin were thrown into separate trees.

"I-I can't believe they'd attack their own teammate," gasped Kin/Ino. "What kind of monsters are they?"

"I don't know," mumbled a dazed Chouji on the other side of the clearing, "but I don't feel so good."

And as if their straits weren't dire enough, Shikamaru's shadow began to withdraw from Dosu as he held onto Ino's now bleeding body.

"I see your technique has a very limited duration," remarked Dosu. "It's also clear that while under your friend's control, whatever damage Kin takes, she feels as well."

"And now, you're luck's just run out."

Zaku raised his palm to Shikamaru holding Ino, preparing another attack. Sakura struggled to her feet to help, but her knees remained bound to the ground. She was too drained, and now Team 10 was going to pay the same price as Lee had for defending her. Why did everyone have to get hurt because of her? Her and her weakness?

The current of air tore toward Shikamaru, the gust suddenly clashing with an oncoming swirl of grey. The tornado looked curiously like a Tunneling Fang.

The two attacks negated each other, the wind dying down as the grey figure landed before Shikamaru.

"So it's Kiba," droned the Nara, "and the rest of his team too." The boy turned to find Shino and Hinata helping Chouji up. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Nice to see you too." Kiba rolled his eyes. "Least you can do is act grateful we saved your butts."

"More Leaf gennin?" growled Dosu. "You ninja are like cockroaches."

"Given your predicament, I'd watch my tongue if I were you."

All heads swiveled to a tree branch overlooking the clearing, Neji and Tenten standing on its fringes.

"So you guys showed up to, huh?"

"Give me a break, Shikamaru," deadpanned Kiba. "The more of us here to save you guys the better, don't you think?"

"As long as _saving us_ is all you've come here to do. Looks a lot more like taking advantage of wounded teams to make a grab for some scrolls."

Kiba threw the boy an incredulous glare. "Are you kidding me?"

"These Sound ninja attacked our teammate," announced Neji, arms sternly folded. "That is why we are here. They must be made to pay."

"And you?"

The chocolate-haired gennin tsked. "Akamaru smelled Sakura's blood, all right." He turned to the pinkette, his eyes softening. "Dogs are loyal, see? He sensed you were in trouble and we both wanted to pay you back for last time. Although..." His grin faltered. "...you look really awful, Sakura. What did these people do to you?"

The girl's eyes only drifted to the floor. She could only imagine how haggard she looked, covered in scrapes, blood, bruises and grime.

"This is becoming more troublesome than I would have thought," voiced Dosu in exasperation. "All we want is Sasuke's blood. None of you need be involved."

"Gettin' nervous now that _you're _the ones outnumbered, huh?" growled Kiba. "These people are our friends and we won't let you hurt them anymore."

"Territorial beast," muttered the mummy-man. "This is your last warning..."

Sakura's focus floated to the cave behind her. She hadn't been able to check on either of her teammates since the fight started. It seemed like so long ago now, and she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that something bad was happening in there. She felt...she couldn't even describe it.

There was a touch of sinister energy not unlike what she sensed rolling off of Orochimaru when they faced off. But there was more. Emotional anguish, internal conflict, desperation, rage, hatred. It was a whirlwind of chaos, and she felt an urgent need to be with that chaos. To protect whoever was burning inside that cavern of wood.

Her entire body braced seconds before a wave of chakra pulsed over the space, its epicenter being the cave she had just been contemplating. But this energy seemed distorted somehow, tainted. All became quiet. She could sense everyone watching the same place she was. Her eyes widened in awe as she saw the figure of swirling black emerge from its lair.

"Sakura," it called, churning energy settling to reveal a dark-haired boy with flame-like markings dancing across his pale skin. Its red eyes aimed at the petrified girl beneath him. "Sakura...who did this to you?"

"S-Sasuke?" she whispered weakly, saucer eyes taking in the sight of the creature posing as her friend. _His eyes, they're...they're just like..._

"Who was it?" it pressed further. "Tell me who did this."

The girl only gaped at him, barely registering the scuttling behind her as Shikamaru whisked all of the gennin into the surrounding bushes.

"I did," proclaimed Zaku boldly. "I threw her around pretty good before bashing her face into the dirt. It was fun."

A surge of energy was the being's only response as it glared at the smirking boy. Its fists clenched on its sides, drawing crimson.

A soundless gasp escaped her lips as the girl read this monster's face. The bloodlust held in its gaze was undeniable. Before she could process anything more, the figure disappeared from view, a crash and the snap of tree bark resounding behind her.

She faced the center of the clearing, finding the dark figure ambling to her right where a broken tree and a broken ninja lay. The monster reached Zaku before he managed to even prop himself up, and it grappled onto one arm, pressing its foot against his head to keep the ninja pinned to the ground.

"You seem very fond of these arms of yours," crooned the grinning figure. "You must be very _attached_ to them."

With one flick of the wrist, several cracks vibrated through the space, a panicked shriek following. The figure released its spasming victim without ceremony, its eyes immediately set on the Sound ninja standing at the other end of the clearing.

Sakura's eyes flickered from Zaku, to the marked boy, to Dosu, and back at the boy. She could feel his soul slipping away...the soul of a dear friend. Each act only drew him ever closer to the edge. Would maiming Dosu be the final catalyst that would send him over?

Ignoring the explosion of pain in her body, Sakura raced to the center of the clearing, directly into the monster's path toward its next victim.

"S-Sasuke," the girl choked with a wince. She hated associating this thing with her friend's name. "What are you doing?"

It only continued towards her.

"H-Hey, I'm talking to you!" she called, a bit stronger. Her gaze was fixed on its Sharingan eyes – even further proof that this was really Sasuke – and the chilling pool of dark they held scared her. "Please...please just stop this."

The creature was about to walk right past her.

"I'm not letting you do this!"

The pinkette shoved the figure's chest backward, a hard hand clamped on her neck a split-second later. Her emerald eyes widened at the move, clutching at its hand as she was lifted off the ground. Her throat rumbled beneath its grip in a choking cough, her trembling fingers laced around her fleshy noose.

"S-Sasu-ke."

Her tightened esophagus allowed no passage of air, and she no longer had the strength to hold back her tears. Water spilled from her eyes as they stared unmoving at her executioner below. There was no destructive glee on its face this time, only blankness. Blankness, black flames, and streaks of moisture from her own fallen tears.

"P-Please," she choked, her burning lungs protesting against her speech. "Please...just stop..."

The fire of his skin under her fingers receded just as the dark marks did. His face also cleared of all traces of the markings and the malevolence brought with them, his onyx eyes finally evoking real, untainted emotion.

The girl was dropped to the floor, and before long Sasuke joined her. She coughed and gasped for a few moments before her eyes returned to him, watching the shock and confusion as he stared unblinkingly into his opened palms. Were they...shaking?

His gaze rose to meet hers before abruptly flickering to the floor, his face hard in thought. She crawled toward him and touched his hand to earn his attention, but he did not give it. Her hand pressed his chin upward, forcing his guilt-stricken eyes to hers. She had to be sure for herself, that all of the coldness, and hatred, and pain, and rage was emptied from them.

His eyebrows knitted together when he noticed the relief in her gaze, the warmth in it, the small curl of her lips. She couldn't have been smiling at him? Not at the person who had just tried to kill her.

With the shuffle of a footstep behind her back and Sakura seized a kunai from Sasuke's holster, whirling around to meet Dosu with a glare that could peel paint. "You're not touching him," she seethed.

The Sound-nin raised one hand in surrender, using the other to retrieve his Earth scroll and plant it on the floor before the pair. "We acknowledge that Sasuke is far too powerful for us. I offer you this Earth scroll in return for allowing me and my teammates to leave peacefully."

The mummy-ninja lifted an unconscious Kin – Sakura hadn't even noticed Ino release her from the Mind Transfer Justu – and then walked to recover Zaku. "You may have won today, but should we meet in this exam again, we will neither run nor ask for mercy."

"Just wait a minute," commanded Sakura, kunai still held defensively in his direction. "Why did Orochimaru do this to Sasuke? And why Sasuke? Why did he even order you to attack him in the first place?"

"I don't know," he answered begrudgingly. "I can't understand why he ordered us to assassinate someone to whom he bestowed such powers. I don't know why he chose the Uchiha of all people, or how he even managed to survive the curse mark. There is a lot I do not know."

Dosu threw a moaning Zaku over his shoulders and disappeared into the trees.

Sakura made a deliberate exhale, surveying the area from where she stood. Shikamaru and Chouji were already dragging Naruto out of the root-cave to wake him while Tenten was manhandling Lee into consciousness. The rest of the Leaf ninja re-entered the clearing as well, watching the two gennin awaken. None of them came near her though, she noted curiously. When she realized the dark-haired boy resting near her, she guessed why they were so hesitant in their approach.

"Hey, everyone," she called, wresting their attention. She fisted her hands to steel herself and bobbed her head. "Thank you so much for being here, for coming to help us, especially when you didn't have to. You put yourselves at great risk on my team's behalf, and we're all incredibly and eternally grateful."

"Enough with all the formality, Miss Manners," teased Kiba. "You're our friends. Of course we came to help out."

"Yeah, exactly," chirped Ino. "Quit thanking us. It's not a big deal."

"It is a big deal," she insisted, not missing the roll of Kiba's eyes. "It does matter. It matters a lot...to me." She matched his joking smirk with serious sincerity, though he only tsked.

"I only regret I could not do more." The girl shifted her gaze to Lee, seated a few feet away. "I was not strong enough to subdue these ninja. And as a result, you got hurt. I failed to keep my promise to you, Sakura-san. And for that I am truly sorry."

"Lee-san, you have nothing to apologize for-"

"But I do," he whined. "I could not protect you. Just remember, the Lotus blooms twice. Next time I shall not fail you."

"But you didn't even fail me now." She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to ignore the swimming feeling in her head. "I can't accept all this, Lee-san. I owe you everything. Without you I wouldn't have lasted as long as I did. I...I owe _all_ of you."

"Not this again," sighed Kiba. "Are you still forgetting the training mission?"

Sakura shook the heat from her face. Why were they making this so difficult? "That's not the same thing. Now please, accept my most sincere and heartfelt thanks." She arched into a bow, but realized too late what a mistake that was. Her chest throbbed in objection, the pain crashing her to her knees as she keeled over, groaning. She could have sworn she heard Kiab's chuckle before she was harshly forced onto her feet.

"Would you cut it out already?" shook Ino, the pinkette a little wobbly in the girl's vice-grip. Her hands were beginning to cut off the circulation in her shoulders, only worsening Sakura's lightheadedness. "We're all friends here, so enough talk about owing anyone anything. Friendship knows no scoreboard, so just stop trying to-"

"Sakura-chan!"

With a thud, Ino was replaced by another blue-eyed blonde, only his expression was more frantic than stubborn. "Sakura-chan, what happened to you? You look awful, believe it! Who did this? Who hurt you? Why's everyone here? Did that snake-lady do this? I'm gonna beat the stuffing out of her, you wait and-"

"You're..." Naruto halted his tirade, eying the dazed girl even more cagily. "You're..." She was floaty on her feet as she blankly stared at the boy. "...rambling..."

The blonde's line of vision suddenly went skyward as Sakura crashed into his chest and toppled them over. Her delicate pink tresses decorated his face, and he inhaled her with every breath. The locks were soon camouflaged against the rouge of his hot cheeks. The boy was now happily dying beneath her unconscious form, lying in an utterly blissful existence.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -


	15. The Preliminaries

******Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**********RE-WRITE: 3/16/12**

* * *

_**The Preliminaries**_

After allowing themselves a day of rest, Team 7 set out for the tower. Although they now possessed both scrolls necessary to advance to the next part, their journey was not without minor complications.

The constant arguments which erupted among them placed a strain on the group, and most of them were between an unexpected pair. To Naruto's bewilderment, Sasuke and Sakura had been quarreling ever since the clash with the snake-woman – whom Sakura later explained was actually a man. Their fights disturbed him. Sasuke was always a prick, and he was almost glad Sakura was finally starting to realize that. But he was so unused to seeing the non-confrontational, ever-pacifistic Sakura argue so vehemently.

Of course, the topic of their disputes had a typical script to them. Usually the catalyst would be some task, either as mundane as gathering water or as dutiful as keeping watch during the night. Naruto had been the default choice for most things, since he was in the best physical condition. However, chaos would ensue when their default needed a break.

Sasuke always insisted on carrying out his duties as a teammate, his Uchiha pride unwavering against the weakened state his curse mark placed him under. The pinkette did not miss these signs – the slowness of his reflexes, the excessive panting when they traveled, the way she always caught him soothing his cursed shoulder from the corners of her vision – and she argued for his rest and maintained that she would do the chore.

That would be about when sincere concern would take a turn toward hostile, with Sasuke poking at her bandages and claiming she was in far worse straits than he was, while Sakura would persist in declaring that his chakra hadn't been the same since their tussle with Orochimaru and he needed to stop pushing himself.

The dust usually settled by Naruto simply doing the job himself while they bickered. Other times, Sakura would begrudgingly allow Sasuke to work himself to the ground only because she had been outvoted by their blonde teammate. Annoyingly enough, these were the only disagreements in which Naruto would actually side with his rival. Things got unusually silent after those unfortunate incidents.

At long last, on the fifth and final day of the test, the trio arrived at the tower, dirty, injured, but happy nonetheless. Their trials were finally over...or so they thought.

"You're putting us through preliminaries?"

The twenty-one teams that passed were assembled into seven lines of three within the arena of the tower. After an address by the Third Hokage, Gekkou Hayate, the proctor for the third exam, announced that they would be holding preliminary matches.

"Quiet down everyone," rasped Hayate, coughing into a handkerchief before continuing. "Too many of you passed through the second exam. According to the rules, the proctor may choose to hold a preliminary at any time during the course of the exams. This will be in the form of one-on-one sudden-death elimination. Anyone who feels they are unfit to continue should forfeit now. We leave the decision to you."

Murmurings rumbled through the crowd as each gennin contemplated the new developments. It was an unforeseen and somewhat unfair turn of events. Some teams had barely made it through the first portion. And now they were expected to carry out another task without any period of recuperation?

Sakura expanded and contracted her chest, assessing how much her ribs had healed. There was some soreness and pain if she moved too fast, but otherwise she felt well enough to continue. Her gaze shifted to Sasuke's tensed frame, and a familiar worry bubbled within her.

"You can't compete in these exams anymore, Sasuke." Her voice was quiet, but loud enough for the boy in front of her to whirl around to face her. His eyes were hard on hers, but she did not waver. "I can see the condition you're in a lot clearer than you think. You're suffering so much right now, I can just feel."

"Be quiet, Sakura," he muttered through his teeth.

She shook her head. "You can't deny it. You've been this way ever since Orochimaru. That mark is..." It was beyond words, but she could feel it eating away at him. "...it's just bad. The senseis need to know about it."

"This mark isn't anyone else's business, including yours."

The girl only glared at him, accustomed to those kinds of comments from their previous arguments. She couldn't bring herself to fall into his line of thinking, no matter how scathing his words were.

"If you think I'm just going to sit by and watch you destroy yourself, then you don't know me at all. I'll always be on your side, can't you see that?"

His onyx eyes studied her desperate gaze for a moment, a sigh finally escaping his lips. "You'll find I don't deserve that kind of loyalty."

"You have it anyway," she brushed off. "I can't let this thing take more of you away. You're worth more than that."

"I don't want or need you to protect me," he bit back. "You don't know a thing about it. I'm competing in these exams, whether you like it or not."

"Will the teachers see it that way too if they found out about that mark?"

For the first time, Sasuke looked wounded, widened eyes following Sakura's hand as it trailed upward. With a smack, he clamped down on it firmly. She gasped in shock, resisting against his grip. "You aren't telling anyone about this."

"So what would you have me do then?" she snapped, forcing back her tears. "Sit back and watch as you just tear yourself apart? I can't do that, Sasuke."

"Then don't," he answered simply. "Just stay out of it. This has nothing to do with you."

"And for the last time, it does. It has everything to with me."

She struggled harder against his hold this time, their quarrel beginning to earn notice. "Hey," called Naruto, shoving the Uchiha off of his other teammate. "Just what do you think you're doing to her?"

"Not you too? Just butt out, you dobe." Sasuke returned the push, only with more force.

Naruto straightened, charging harder at the boy. Sasuke grappled his shoulder in a pang of pain just as the blonde's palms knocked against him, toppling him to the ground. Naruto made a dive toward his rival, but hands seized his shoulders from behind, his attacker pulling him to the floor with the full force of body weight. With a roll, the pink-haired assailant catapulted her teammate further backward with her legs.

She twirled onto her feet in the same bound, her head swiveling from one fallen boy to the other as she stood between the two.

"Of course, why wouldn't I anticipate you three making a scene like this?"

The pinkette turned to find their silver-haired sensei, his hand hugging his hip in disapproval.

"It's just like the day you three were put on a team together, one catastrophe after another. Although, a contestant attacking their own teammate is a new incident to the exams."

"Sensei..." The girl eyed the two boys now standing at her sides. If there was a moment she was going to report Sasuke, it would be now. "Kakashi-sensei, there's something I really need to-"

"I know, Sakura." He matched the confused crease of her brow with a crinkle-eyed smile. "We know about everything, so don't worry about it. It'll all be taken care of. But in the meantime, just, uh, try not to start up any more fights, all right guys? The other jounin aren't as tolerant or amused by your antics as your dear old sensei."

Kakashi turned to rejoin the other teachers. He did have a point – from day one, they had always been unfairly good at drawing attention to themselves, and for all the wrong reasons.

The trio threw each other a glance, their gazes still tensed as they ignored the eyes on them.

"It's settled then," said Sasuke. "I'm competing and that's that."

"But, Sasuke..."

"Don't you get it? This is more than just an exam for me. We're being given an opportunity to battle with the best of the best. It's a chance to discover whether I'm as strong as I can be. It's important, and because of that I won't let you or anybody else sway my decision. Do you understand?"

The pinkette averted her eyes from his, her lips screwed together.

"Just what is your deal?" growled Naruto. "What are you biting her head off for? Can't you see she's just worried about you, you idiot?

"Naruto." The Uchiha faced his teammate's aggressive glare with a smirk. "In this exam, you're one of the ones I want to fight the most."

The blonde suddenly adopted the expression of someone who had just been doused in ice water. The still air between them was heavier than ever.

Sakura only sighed as they returned to their positions in line, voted out on yet another argument. It was settled...she officially hated boys.

A loud cough from Hayate drew everyone's focus back to him. "Well then, since no one has decided to bow out, we shall begin the preliminaries immediately. If everyone would clear the area and move to the upper level, we'll begin choosing opponents on this screen at random. With twenty-one examinees, there will be ten matches, one randomly selected being a triple battle."

The screen flickered to life, an electronic buzz indicating that the first match had been set.

"First up, Uchiha Sasuke and Akado Yoroi."

Sakura's heart nearly leapt into her throat. He was up first, _first_, against one of Kabuto's teammates. Couldn't the fates have at least given him a brief grace period of rest?

Her heart rate only clambered higher as she watched the fight from the upper balcony. Her fingers squeezed onto the railings harder and harder – through Sasuke's inability to use his Sharingan, through his own chakra working against him because of the curse mark's influence, through Yoroi's chakra-draining abilities, and especially through a brief sighting of flame-like marks on the Uchiha's neck.

In the end, though, Sasuke's instincts and ingenuity prevailed...along with a combination of Lee's Shadow of the Dancing Leaf and a Lions Barrage.

"The match is over. The winner is Uchiha Sasuke."

The boy, with Kakashi, disappeared into another room before Sakura even managed to congratulate him. Her worried gaze lingered on their backs until they exited the arena.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, what do you suppose they went to do back there? And did you notice anything weird about Sasuke's neck during the fight?"

Sakura hesitated in response, keeping in mind a promise Sasuke had forced her to make on their journey to the tower – she couldn't tell Naruto about the curse mark. "I didn't see whatever you're talking about. As for their leaving, well...I guess they're just taking care of his injuries."

"Oh," was all the further thought he spared on the issue, making Sakura feel even guiltier for lying. He blindly trusted her and she lied to him, about the mark and the fact that Kakashi had probably just taken their teammate somewhere to deal with it.

"The next match will be Aburame Shino versus Yakushi Kabuto."

The match between the two began and ended quickly, with Shino using his bugs to drain Kabuto of his chakra. The spectacled ninja wasted no time in giving up before his energy was sucked dry. He barely seemed to put up much of a fight.

Before she could hear the other match called, Sakura felt a cold chill invade her being, forcing its way over her like wave-beaten shoreline. She shuddered, eyes frantically darting about the space but finding nothing. Her heart was hammering in her drying esophagus. Only one person ever brought about these sensations in her. But the man was nowhere in sight.

"Sakura-chan?" called Naruto warily, now ignoring the fight between Kabuto's other teammate, Misumi, and Kankuro from the Hidden Sand. "What's wrong? Why are you panicking?"

"I'm not-" her voice faltered, swallowing to appease her parched throat. "I'm not panicking. I'm just...I need to find Sasuke."

Without another word, she bolted to the stairs, rushing passed Team Guy and Team 10, Naruto in tow. Kurenai and her team stood at the end of the path before the stairway.

"Sakura, what are you doing?"

"Kurenai-sensei," she huffed, though she had hardly exerted herself physically. "Please, I have to get to Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei. Something-Something bad is happening."

The woman's ruby eyes scrutinized her former genjutsu-pupil, the girl's overwhelming worry evident in the first glance. "I promise you, both of them are fine."

"Then let me check on them and see it for myself."

"I can't do that. If you aren't here when your name is called, you'll be disqualified."

"Then disqualify me," she pleaded. "I'm willing to take that chance, just please allow me to see them."

The jounin sighed, focusing now on Naruto. "And what of you?"

The blonde blinked at the woman, and then to Sakura, and back. "Oh, wherever Sakura-chan goes, you bet I'm going to." Before she could object, he shook his head at her. "You're more important to me than any exam, so don't even start, believe it."

Sakura spared him a grateful smile before racing down the stairs and through the exit, both Kurenai and Naruto on her heels. There were several badly lit hallways to choose from as they traveled through the tower, but she didn't hesitate once in her choice as she dashed through the building. She just sensed the pull of the cold energy and followed after it. And the closer she got, the more certain she was of the snake-sannin's presence.

"Sakura, stop," commanded Kurenai when she reached the final door. The gennin released her hold from the doorknob, not bothering to ask why the jounin was now so insistent on going in first. She could finally detect what Sakura had an inkling on this entire time.

The ruby-eyed woman burst through the door, finding a crouched Kakashi and an unconscious Sasuke.

"Everything all right in here, Kakashi?"

"Kurenai," he said gravely. "I've never been more relieved to see you."

Her eyes narrowed at her colleague. "So he was here, wasn't he? And he was after the boy."

The Copy Ninja nodded, sliding his headband onto his exposed Sharingan eye. "We barely got started before he bolted, probably not wanting your company to draw even more attention to his presence. How did you know to come here anyway?"

The woman only smirked smartly, stepping aside to reveal Kakashi's other students.

"You two?" asked the silver-haired jounin. His tone reverted to his typically casual one, chuckling lightly. "I should have guessed it. And what exactly are you doing back here?"

"My hands are clean on this one, sensei," answered Naruto hastily. "This is all Sakura-chan. A match was just about to start when she totally flipped out and wanted to go find you guys. I-I only followed to keep an eye on her."

"So it was you then."

Sakura's expression only grew more solemn as she studied Sasuke, shirtless and asleep within two circles of ink. Her sensei had been performing a seal on him. And Orochimaru wanted to exploit their moment of seclusion by kidnapping him?

"It's going to be all right," insisted Kakashi. "Don't worry, Sakura."

Don't worry...that's what he had said just before getting attacked by one of the three Legendary Sannin wasn't it? Because of that, he had lost a certain amount of credibility in her eyes.

"If you say so, sensei," she relented half-heartedly.

"Now that everything's all right, we gotta get back to the matches right now, Sakura-chan!"

The blonde clasped onto her hand and practically dragged the girl through the hallways in a dash. He was right to hurry, she decided later. Things would not bode well for them if they missed their matches.

"Did they call us? Did they call us?" asked Naruto frantically, stopping at the first gennin on the upper level of the arena – Team 8.

Kiba narrowed his eyes on him, refusing to say a word. No one that obnoxiously demanding deserved a response. For Shino, silence usually did constitute an answer, and so Naruto turned to the Hyuga girl. "Well?"

Hinata's cheeks flushed as she fumbled with her words. "W-Well, um, the Sand ninja won h-his round after you left. A-And then Shikamaru and the female Sound ninja f-faced off and he won-"

"Shikamaru won a match?" laughed Naruto. "Wow, who knew that lazy bum had it in him?"

The Hyuga chuckled weakly herself, although it sounded more like a cough. Her face burned scarlet even more now, and she choked out a few incomprehensible words before Kiba finally saved her.

"The mummy from the Sound and Chouji fought after that, and Chouji lost. Now Tenten just started up against the blonde from the Hidden Sand."

"We haven't been called yet then," exhaled Sakura in relief. Her priority had been to find Sasuke, but that didn't mean forfeiting a match after all they had been through wouldn't have been disappointing.

"Everything okay with you though?"

Sakura turned to Kiba, cagey about approaching him after noticing Akamaru peeping in his jacket. What would happen if she had to face off against them? "It all got sorted out," she answered, trying not to sound too curt while hoping to diminish all conversation while the canine was around. "Thank you for asking, Kiba-san."

The boy almost started another comment, but opted to focus on the match instead. Was she really that easy to read?

The match ended shortly thereafter, the Sand ninja, Temari, earning a victory.

"I trust that neither of you missed your matches?"

The five gennin turned to find that Kakashi and Kurenai had appeared behind them. The wide grin decorating Naruto's face answered his sensei's question.

"Everything all right there, Kakashi? Kurenai?" asked Might Guy, strolling towards their area along with Lee.

The silver-haired jounin nodded. "It's all been taken care of and Sasuke is resting comfortably. How have the fights been going on your end?"

"Tenten's the only one on my team to have gone. Even though she just lost, she put up a valiant effort." The man's tone held such pride in it, and Sakura doubted he would have sounded any different if she had won or lost.

"I am quite disappointed I have yet to be called," commented Lee. "I want to go. I want to fight. And now that you've returned to watch, Sakura-san, I desire my match even more. You would do me the honor of cheering for me right?"

"O-Of course," she fumbled, a bit bewildered by the line of questioning.

Naruto glared at the boy's goofy grin. "Yeah well Sakura-chan is _my_ teammate, so you bet that as hard as she cheers for you, it's still gonna be double for me."

"People cheer in an amount proportional to the excitement of the fight," countered Lee smartly. "And I can guarantee that my fight will be far more entertaining than yours, Naruto. Especially if my wish comes true."

"Your wish?" deadpanned Naruto. "What wish?"

"My wish that I shall be the one selected for the triple battle. It will be, by far, the most difficult and interesting of the matches in these preliminaries."

"Oh oh I get it," nodded Naruto. "Hey, I wanna have that match too. I want the triple battle!"

"Ah, it would be superb if we both faced off in that match, Naruto. Would it not make for an interesting contest of hearts?"

"Uh, I dunno what that means, but a chance to kick your keester works just fine with me, believe it."

Guy seemed just as amped as the two boys were, though Kakashi only sighed, his unamused expression mirroring Sakura's.

"Well it appears neither of you will get your wish here," said the Copy Ninja, his weighty tone in place. "Looks like you're up, Sakura."

The girl's blank stare tore toward the electronic board, just as the proctor called for the next match.

"The triple match shall begin – Haruno Sakura versus Abumi Zaku versus Yamanaka Ino."

Kakashi patted his student's shoulder encouragingly while Naruto, Lee and Kiba yowled with cheers. Hinata managed a quiet "Good luck" in between, and the pinkette leapt into the arena.

"What a total drag."

Naruto's ears perked at the familiar drone, and turned to Shikamaru and Chouji, who had been observing nearby.

"This is bad. Sakura's one of the last people in the world I wanted up against Ino. Why couldn't she have gotten Naruto instead?"

"Hey I heard that!" barked the blonde. "And why's it so bad for Sakura to be fighting Ino?"

"Well apart from the fact that Sakura's a total brain, it's obvious she doesn't like Ino very much. That'll just make things worse for her."

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows. "Sakura-chan isn't going to kill Ino, if that's what you're so worried about. She's-She's kind and sweet and the nicest person ever."

"I gather that," answered Shikamaru, rolling his eyes. "I mean, she did make herself late the night before the training mission just because she was helping a little girl find some stupid cat-"

"Or when she risked herself for Akamaru," chimed Kiba, his hostile tone clearly indicating he was just as unappreciative of Shikamaru's eavesdropped words as Naruto was.

"Point taken, but grudges can make even the nicest people do awful things. This conversation is pointless with you two. Let's just sit back and watch the match huh? It's about to start anyway."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sakura's eyes roamed the battle area. Of course she would end up being the one with the hardest match. Because things like that just liked to happen to her.

She took in Ino's frame, haggard but no obvious injuries in sight. Zaku, on the other hand, had an arm in a sling. It was the same arm she had stabbed with a kunai, the one Sasuke had so viciously broken. She was certain Zaku would be targeting her before Ino to avenge that, and she figured she would have to do the same.

"Now," announced Hayate, "let the match begin."

The Sound-nin wasted no time raising his good arm for his attack. Sakura used a back handspring to gain some distance, Ino mirroring her with a dash. The pair just missed the full force of the gust, falling lightly on the ground. Zaku only had one arm to use, and he didn't seem very mobile due to the stabbing Sakura had given his foot days ago. This was good. But attacking him still wasn't going to be easy.

"Let's team up," suggested Ino, facing the pinkette. "We can beat this guy together and then have our own match. I rather you win than him anyway."

Sakura studied the blonde's expression. She seemed genuine about her offer, but she still wasn't inclined to agree. "I don't feel comfortable doing that, Ino-san."

The girl sighed. "I told you, it's just Ino. Say it with me now- ...oh never mind. Look Sakura, fighting this guy together increases _both_ our chances of winning. I don't see what the problem is."

"I just can't do it," answered Sakura dismissively, getting to her feet.

"But why?" pressed Ino. "We've worked together before, on the training mission and even against this same Sound ninja. I don't get what makes now any different."

"It...it just wouldn't be right. In this match, we've been specifically pitted against each other. I can't work with you, not in good conscience."

"You think I'm going to betray you?" asked the blonde incredulously.

"It's not just that," exasperated Sakura. Didn't she know how to take no for an answer? "I can't view you as an ally, and then minutes later treat you like an enemy. I just, I can't do it."

Ino raised an eyebrow, a small smirk in place. "Wow you're strict."

The pinkette only rolled her eyes before fixing them on Zaku, who still hadn't made another move.

"All right then," chirped Ino, "I'll make you a deal. I promise to abandon all attempts to hurt you while this guy is still standing if you do the same for me. We're technically not working together, just, er, temporarily postponing our fight until a more opportune time. How's that?"

Sakura's gaze flitted to the blonde at the corner of her eye. Leave it to Ino to find a loophole in Sakura's own condition, and now she was hanging the pinkette with it. "Fine then," she relented. "I still owe you for helping us in the forest, so this makes us even."

Ino rested a hand on her hip, tsking. "Not exactly the rationale I hoped you'd use to agree with me, but I'll take whatever I can get."

Sakura focused her chakra into her feet and darted toward Zaku. The Sound-nin caught her with a blast of air before she could reach him, as she had expected. When the wind hit, she reverted to her other strategy – clinging her feet to the ground using chakra.

The blast subsided, and she rushed him again while he prepared another attack. But the second stop she made produced a very different outcome. Instead of hitting her braced form directly, Zaku aimed his attack at the floor just before her. The wave sliced across the ground, dislodging fragments of concrete and funneling the debris toward his opponent.

The girl reacted with a chakra-charged jump into the air, missing the wreckage. Raising his palm at her, he launched the remaining blast into the suspending kunoichi, the blast catapulting her into the ground several feet away. She certainly did not miss the familiar feeling of being tossed about by his attack, and this time it was worse. She had just tumbled along stone floors instead of earth, and her body was sporting a lot more bloody scrapes because of it.

"On your feet, Sakura-chan!" yelled Naruto. "Don't let this guy throw you around like some ragdoll!"

The pinkette rose off the ground in time to catch Ino sending a barrage of shuriken at the Sound-nin. "No, Ino, don't-"

The sharp projectiles were repelled towards the ninja with one blast. Sakura reacted too late, a metal star lodging into her shoulder. She winced as she pulled the weapon out of her, pressing down on the injury. When she looked back up, the arena was being showered by long, pale strands. It looked like...hair.

Sakura's gaze drifted to the blonde, eyes like saucers when she spotted her, conspicuously lacking her trademark lengthy ponytail. Had she tried to duck away from the shuriken and got her hair caught in the crossfire? That was terrible luck. It was a lot of hair too; the floor was matted in it.

"You, you, you monster! How could you do such a despicable thing?"

Even for Ino, those octaves were incredibly high. She seemed on the verge of a mental breakdown and an eruption of rage all at the same time. Her eyes were daggers at the smirking ninja, as he raised his hand innocently. "_You_ attacked _me_, remember? All I was doing was defending myself."

"You're so gonna pay for this!" she threatened, voice still like a harpy.

"Just back off and let me deal with pinky over there." His eyes narrowed at Sakura. "We have a score to settle. I'm gonna beat you down so hard, even your little friend Sasuke will feel the punishment. What happens to you is his fault from here on out."

Her poker face didn't falter. They were on even ground this time, and she felt the urge to deal out some of her own punishment as well. The cloud of hair had struck Sakura with an idea, and it was about time she implemented it.

The pinkette retrieved a smoke bomb from her case and deployed it in the center of the arena. Zaku only chuckled. "You can't sneak up on me with such a lame trick."

With a torrent of air from his palm, the fog of black was forced toward the ceiling, leaving the battle area clear and revealing seven replicas of Sakura.

"A clone jutsu?" mocked Zaku. "That's even lamer than your little smokescreen. All I have to do to find the real one is..."

He fired a jet of air at one clone, noting its free passage through the illusion. "Not that one." His hand aimed at another, blasting through it yet again. "This one's a fake too..."

The Sound-nin continued attacking each clone in succession, narrowing them down until there was only one left.

"Guess you're the real one," he announced with a smirk, concentrating his most intense wave yet. The mass of air slammed into the girl, battering her across the arena.

The boy huffed, having exerted his chakra to such a degree. He sauntered toward the fallen girl, glaring at Ino as he went, daring her to attempt an assault. "Now that I've finally got you," he started, towering over her, "it's time to see how you like getting _your_ arms broken."

He made a grab for her arm, but his fingers slipped right through the figure. He nearly toppled over from his reach when it exploded into smoke. "So this clone faked being tossed back. But that's impossible. I eliminated every single one of them. Where's the real one?"

On cue, the pink-haired ninja dove out of the cloud of back above him, using the full force of her momentum to crash a kick into the unsuspecting ninja's chest. The force hurled him off his feet, as he skated across the floor.

He huffed and wheezed, hand to his chest as he rasped for breath.

"I suspect a blow like that must have broken a rib or two," said Sakura, walking toward him. "You won't be able to fight if you can't breathe properly. You're done." For emphasis, she placed a kunai to his throat, eyes to Hayate.

"I declare Zaku unable to continue the match. Will the ninja clear the arena so the rest of the battle may progress."

"You," breathed Zaku, still on his back. "You were hiding in the smoke the whole time."

"On the ceiling," she clarified. "Yes."

The Sound-nin coughed up some blood, grinning through the crimson. "You could have killed me if you wanted."

"I know," she answered flatly.

"So why didn't you? I would have done the same, if it were reversed."

"I know."

"So why then?"

She watched the Sound ninja, that pompous smirk still plastered on his face. "Although you've probably done a lot of horrible things, it's not my place to pass judgment and end your life. I'm not an executioner, and I don't want to be. Now that these exams are over you pose no threat, to me or my team. I have no reason to kill you, so I'd rather avoid it."

Zaku only gave a gurgled cough. Even as his lungs were probably drowning in his own blood, he still had the energy to be pretentious. "What if I told you that you were wrong?"

Her emerald eyes froze over the grinning ninja. "Wrong? About what?"

"You know what," he teased. "What if there still was a reason to kill me? What if I told you this wasn't going to end here? Would you still be so sure to let me live?"

The girl was now crouched on his level, hand gripping his collar as she forced his eyes to hers. "What do you mean?" she seethed.

His expression was unaffected by her ploys to intimidate. "We're going to come after Sasuke again, you know. Me and my village – the entire Hidden Sound. One failed attempt won't stop us. Because when Orochimaru-sama wants something, he gets it. And you bet I'm gonna do everything in my power to help him after I leave this place."

His teeth stained red as he smiled up at her, even as her stare grew hard, even as he could see her view of him change in her eyes. He was not an enemy she could afford to allow to live, not anymore, not now, not after what she had heard.

Her knuckles pounded skin before she even made a conscious decision about his fate. It was just like on the bridge, when Towa was seconds away from taking Naruto's life. Now this monster was threatening to do the same to Sasuke. This could not be allowed. She could not leave him to hurt someone so important to her. She would give anything, even her own integrity in front of an audience of her peers and teachers, to prevent that.

Arms pinned her to the ground before she could swing her fourth blow. She struggled beneath her assailant.

"Sakura, if you don't stop thrashing, Hayate will be forced to disqualify you. Calm down."

On hearing the sound of her sensei's voice, she arrested movement. He helped her up, eying her warily as she watched the Sound-nin lifted out of the arena by the medical corps. Her right hand shook when she realized the blood smeared on them. _His_ blood. She wiped it onto her shorts. There was enough crimson already on it to match.

"Kakashi-sensei, did you hear him? Did you hear what he was saying?"

"Yes, Sakura. We all did, now you need to calm down."

"But he's going to try to kill Sasuke, or take him away, or-or _something_." She did her best to control her breathing, her fidgeting, but she doubted its effectiveness. If anything, it only made her appear even more on edge. Was this what a panic-attack felt like? "We can't let them do it. We can't let Orochimaru get to-"

"We know, Sakura," he answered, tone even. "We know, now please calm down."

The pinkette pressed a palm to her abdomen, allowing a few silent moments of deep breathing. "I'm just worried."

"No one blames you for it. The ANBU have him in custody. Once he's healed, they'll begin their interrogation. For now, you still have a match to complete."

The jounin nodded to Hayate. "We'll allow you four minutes to compose yourself before restarting the match."

"But I don't need-"

"Take the four minutes," insisted Kakashi. "A quiet mind is the most suited for combat."

"Yes, sensei." She closed her eyes, continuing her deep breathing. Had her reaction warranted so much concern to worry even the great Hatake Kakashi?

The jounin returned to his position in the upper level with Naruto, Guy, Lee, and Team 8.

"Is Sakura-chan gonna be okay? Is she, Kakashi-sensei? And what about that Sound ninja? We all heard how he threatened Sasuke. Sakura-chan can't be in trouble is she? The way that guy was talking, he deserved-"

"Hold on, Naruto, just hold on," answered Kakashi. "Sakura's right, you do ramble. No one's in trouble. Her match should be resuming soon."

"Just as long as she doesn't try to kill Ino next," chimed Shikamaru in earshot. "And don't look at me like that, Naruto. Sakura isn't a bad person, I just think she's under a lot of stress. And as bothersome as she is, Ino's my teammate."

"You can't blame him for his concern," consoled Kakashi, noting Asuma's grave expression as well. "If things get out of hand, I'll step in myself. I doubt Ino has anything to worry about though."

"I can't be so sure of that, Kakashi," remarked Asuma. "We just saw what she's capable of."

"Sakura is only capable of the same thing as every ninja," stated Kakashi. "Part of the shinobi way involves taking life. She shouldn't be judged for that."

"I agree, but she snapped so quickly..."

"Yes, but with understandable cause. As far as ninja go, Haruno Sakura is one of the most peaceable, nonviolent individuals I have ever known. She doesn't take joy out of hurting others, and feels remorse with every kill, no matter how justifiable the death. She knows the value of human life, and there is only one condition that would ever drive her to ignore that value."

"When her friends are in trouble," finished Naruto. His gaze was fixed on his teammate standing in the arena.

Her eyes were lidded, her expression feigning peaceful but he knew her better. Her thoughts must have been a whirlwind of chaos right now – concern for Sasuke, confusion for the Sound-nin's words, guilt over what she had just done...yes, feeling sorry for a person who had just threatened one of her closest friends was so like Sakura. Because Sakura worried about the way she affected people, and would sooner hurt herself than cause anyone any type of suffering.

"When she was younger, Sakura-chan lost every person she ever knew." The blonde continued eying the girl below, addressing everyone in the group yet no one in particular. "She moved to the Hidden Leaf for a better life, but she didn't let herself get close to anyone. She was so closed up, but I guess she just didn't wanna chance losing anyone again.

"And then she was put on this team with me and Sasuke, see. And now she can't help but always worry about us. Because us...Team 7...we're a family now. We became her family. I don't think she really meant for us to, but we did."

A soft smile lingered on his face as he watched her before turning on Asuma and Shikamaru. His expression hardened. It carried every ounce of anger he felt at the world, because it had caused so much pain to a person so undeserving of it.

"So excuse me if she gets a little defensive when her family gets threatened. Don't you dare blame her for losing it because some creep said he was gonna hurt Sasuke – no, he didn't say it, he practically threw it in her face. Because losing us...losing us would be like getting put through the same hell that she tried to get away from in the Hidden Rock. She only..." He fisted his shaking hand. "She only wants to protect everyone."

No one contested Naruto's words, not even Shikamaru.

"She is truly a noble soul," affirmed Lee after a pause. "Now let us do our duties as her friends and cheer her on – cheer _both_ of them on. They are our fellow Hidden Leaf shinobi."

"That's the spirit, Lee," boomed Guy-sensei. "We shall not allow one ninja's murderous words to taint the true spirit of physical competition. Let us support our comrades with the full power of youth!"

A chorus of cheers erupted from the group, wresting Sakura from her impromptu meditation. Her lips curled as she watched them. She was relieved they didn't appear disappointed with her, especially the enthusiastic blonde whose voice was clearly overpowering all the others.

"Now," rasped Hayate, "let the seventh match continue."

"You all right, Sakura?" asked Ino hesitantly. "I can give you a couple more minutes if you're not."

"No, I'm fine. I'm sorry if I worried you."

"Don't feel bad for _me_, are _you_ okay? And I mean really okay."

"It's fine," maintained the pinkette. "Zaku's with the ANBU so that's all that matters. I'd like to resume the battle."

The blonde studied her blank expression, her words unable to hide the mental exhaustion evident in them. But she had given the pink-haired gennin a fair chance to ease her troubled mind. She couldn't be blamed for what she was about to do.

"Thank you, Ino-san," said Sakura a little later. "Thank you for your concern."

She gave a weak smile which Ino reciprocated. It just made things harder for her to do. This humble sense of duty and loyalty, it reminded her so much of why she truly admired Sakura. Of the time when she...

"Will the contestants please recommence the fight," commanded the proctor.

The kunoichi visibly steeled themselves and darted toward each other.

It was an all-out taijutsu battle, neither one giving an inch. Sakura usually relied on her flexibility for an edge over an opponent, but Ino was just as agile. They exchanged blocked blows, before Ino struck her with a fist to the face. Sakura used the opportunity to land a knee to the blonde's abdomen. Her body paused in shock, and the pinkette swung her own punch. At the last second of impact, fist became opened palm and she thrust the girl to the ground before leaping backwards.

The pinkette stared at her hand incredulously, as if it had just betrayed her. Why did she pull her punch? Why was she showing such mercy? She didn't even really like Ino as a person.

The blonde watched her with the same confusion as she rose from the floor. "Don't do that again," she demanded, wiping a line of blood from her lips. "Don't you dare go easy on me, Sakura." She was making this so _hard_.

The pinkette only gave her a blank stare. Did she think she had _meant_ to stop her punch? She didn't decide that, her body did. How was she supposed to control that?

Ino furrowed her eyebrows, launching a barrage of shuriken. Their target dove to the side. "Fight me."

Another volley of projectiles, and the girl leapt backwards this time. "Ino-san..."

"I said fight me! Fight for what you want and stop letting other people push you around."

With one more torrent of weapons and Sakura pulled her kunai to deflect them.

"That's it," encouraged Ino. "Finally fighting back. Now I can actually get serious."

Sakura's eyebrows knitted together, bracing herself for what the kunoichi had meant. 'Get serious?' So she wasn't being serious before?

The blonde opened her palms and slammed them onto the floor. Sakura flinched, but nothing happened. She was still fine – her head, her arms, her legs- ...wait, what was that line of blue entwined around them?

The pinkette heaved her feet, twisting and turning but to no avail. She had been locked into position.

"You won't be able to get out of those," stated Ino, the cord of blue leading from Sakura's tangled feet to under the blonde's sandals. "I infused my fallen hair on the ground with chakra and created a rope, and you ran right into it."

Sakura's eyes flitted from the girl to the cable of chakra to the blonde strands which littered the area of the field they stood on. This was where Ino had been standing when her own reflected shuriken sliced off her ponytail.

"You planned it from then, didn't you," stated Sakura. "It didn't happen by accident. You knew Zaku's blast could deflect shuriken, and you aimed to have it cut off your hair so you could do this."

"I did," she confessed. "I'm betting someone sharp like you can anticipate what I'm about to do next?"

Her prodding connected enough of the dots. "Mind Transfer jutsu."

"Correct," sang Ino with a grin.

"Pretty low blow, if you asked me," muttered the pinkette, earning her a confused glance from Ino. "I believe your exact words were 'I promise to abandon all attempts to hurt you while this guy is still standing if you do the same for me.' I didn't start plotting against you while Zaku was around, but you did. But then, it was my mistake. I wasn't watching you as intently as I should have. Your promise had the desired effect of letting my guard down."

"No, no," despaired Ino, her glee at her plan's success now deflating. "That wasn't...I meant every word of that promise."

"Then what's this?" Sakura waved her hand over the hair and chakra ropes. "Your attempt to hurt me began when you got your hair cut. You lied to me."

"No I didn't! I-I didn't think that counted. You're just being bitter because you're about to lose."

"I don't like being lied to," countered Sakura. "I was hidden away on the ceiling during that smokescreen long enough to have been able to take both you and Zaku out. But I honored our agreement and spared you...I didn't even use the confusion to set a trap, unlike what you did to me."

"I..." Ino shook her head. "I didn't think that little promise went as far as you took it. You can't blame me. And this arguing won't stop me from doing this." She began making her hand signs.

"I'm not trying to dissuade you, Ino-san," said Sakura flatly. She was so tired from the day and – as much as she hated to admit Ino being right – a little bitter about how it was all going to end. She had experienced the benefits of relying on the other Leaf gennin in the Forest of Death. It was only fitting that she understood the cons of those attachments as well.

"Your scheme was really brilliant," she admitted, "I can't deny that. And even without the promise, I probably still wouldn't have noticed what you were doing. But I have to honor you with the truth – I still feel cheated. I just want it to be clear about where we stood with each other."

Ino spared her victim one sullen look before aiming her last seal. "Mind Transfer jutsu."

There was a break of silence. The chakra ropes disintegrated and Ino's body slumped to the floor while Sakura's stiffened. The pinkette shook it off, emerald eyes roaming the space before resting on her team in the stands.

"Mind Transfer jutsu complete."

"Woah, thank goodness," sighed Shikamaru. "I got worried she was gonna back out of it. Sakura really knows how to lay on the guilt."

"Sakura-chan was right about every word," defended Naruto. "That was a low blow. And what the heck's going on now? I don't get it."

"Ino wasn't wrong," maintained Shikamaru. "It was just a difference of interpretation that happened to work in her favor. She couldn't control for that. And can't you tell she's taken over Sakura's body now? Or are you really that dense, sheesh."

"W-What?" His eyes swiveled to his pink-haired friend.

"I expect Ino's gonna make Sakura forfeit. Smooth move. This match is over."

Naruto gritted his teeth. "No way. Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan what are you doing?"

The pinkette's head turned to the blonde's yelling. _Just_ w_hat is he going on about?_

"Listen, Sakura-chan, you can't let this Ino-girl just swoop in and use your own body to lose this for you! You're better than that! You've worked way too hard to let it end this way! What happened to facing me and Sasuke in the finals? I thought we all wanted that, and now you're just gonna sit by and let her take that from you? You can't do that, you just can't!"

"You're rambling," stated the girl, blank expression suddenly becoming panicked. "W-Wait a second, I-I didn't mean to say tha- ...AH!"

The kunoichi clamped her hands over her head, her body shaking. What was this wave of energy countering hers? This unwelcoming presence. It was shaking her to her core. Ino abandoned her worldly view of the arena and retreated into the inner sanctum of the mind to control what was happening.

Ino opened her eyes, meeting the familiar pocket of darkness she inhabited when commandeering another's body. Her grayed eyes scanned her surroundings in time to find a girl racing toward her, fist swinging before it collided into her jaw.

She retreated deeper into the gray world, watching the panting girl before her. "Get out of here," she commanded.

"W-What," stammered Ino, rising to her feet. "I don't...h-how are you even here? When I inhabit people's minds, I create my own space inside to hide. You're not supposed to be able to come in here!"

"Whatever hiding place you make in my mind, it's still _my_ mind, Ino-san. I can go wherever I want to in it. And I'm about to make you come _out_."

She charged at the girl again and a tussle began, their physical fight representing a clash of minds for control over this body. But Ino couldn't deny it. Inside here, Sakura's blows were stronger. It was her psyche that belonged in this place, after all, not hers. She did not quit though. She couldn't. She was a Yamanka – conquering minds was in her blood.

Her aura continued to take more damage, and she was growing desperate, calculated blows becoming flailed punches as she tried to get her opponent away from her. Ino kicked her off, rolling onto her feet before tackling her with every ounce of strength she had.

But she wasn't sparing enough concentration on the gray world she created.

As her mental body slammed into Sakura's, the space swam around them in a whirl of shapes and colors, and Ino could feel herself falling. She tried to keep her eyes on the gray Sakura, but the girl soon vanished from her arms.

An exploding shriek and a bang later, and Ino found herself standing in a kitchen.

Unlike the place she had just fallen from, there was color, and light. There was also a woman in this room, bent into an oven. Her long hair of beautiful shining silver was the only thing the blonde could see.

The figure soon turned around with a tray in her mitted hands and Ino's breath caught in her throat. She was concerned about the woman spotting her intruding in her home, yes, but more than that – this woman's face...it was almost identical to Sakura's. She was older, of course, but the broad forehead, heart-shaped face, porcelain skin, sparkling eyes of emerald...this was a silver-haired Sakura-adult standing before her.

The woman's smile held in place, not seeming to have noticed her observer gawking at her.

"How do you think these turned out?"

"They smell delicious," chirped a small voice behind the island where the tray now rested. The chair near it squeaked as the body got into it, and up popped a pink-haired girl, sniffing ravenously at the desserts. She had a five-hundred-watt smile beaming from the baked goods to the woman standing above her.

Ino's heart leapt in her throat. The woman was Sakura's mother, but both her parents were dead. Wasn't that what Sakura had mentioned once? The jovial child craning over the counter confirmed it.

This was one of Sakura's memories.

"I love your imagawayaki, Okaa-san. I wanna learn how to make them some day. The strawberry-filled ones you do are special. No one else makes them."

The mother raised a hand delicately to her lips as she suppressed a giggle. "It's a secret family recipe, but you seem so certain you can manage it."

"I can if I have you to help me," she blurted proudly. "I'll be a good cook like you."

"Ah, so you'll be a master chef _and_ a great ninja? I'm afraid you might have to work on one at a time, dear."

"Oh," she answered, mood deflated. "Well, as long as I can _eat_ the yummy food Okaa-san makes, that'll be okay until I can learn."

The woman studied her child's disheartened features. "Hm...perhaps you have time to learn imagawayaki at least."

The small girl's face exploded into a smile. "You really mean it? Okaa-san's the best! I can't wait to tell Usa-chan."

Her mother only shook her head in amusement. "Well then, shall we get the powdered sugar to finish these? I'll let you sprinkle them this time, Master Chef Sakura."

The world of color swirled about Ino, the scene disappearing in their wave of laughter. The trill of giggles soon transfigured into a torrent of shrieks and cries, crimson and blackness and fire flooding her vision. There was a flash metal streaked with blood, a brown-haired man collapsing to the floor, the broken form of a woman with silver hair.

Before Ino could make any sense of the images, she was thrown onto moist grass. It was nighttime, but she was still able to recognize her surroundings as a part of the Hidden Leaf. The never-ending rows of stone plates were the only clue she needed.

She was on the Konoha Memorial Grounds.

A pink-haired girl, a little older than the one she had just watched, was seated before one of the gravestones. There was an ignored basket at her side, the girl's eyes transfixed on the plate of rock before her. A well-worn trail of water sliced both sides of her face, but her expression was flat. She made no sounds or movements, her petrified body mirroring the stone she was gaping.

Ino held a trembling hand over her mouth, and almost immediately a crashing body knocked her off her feet. The Yamanka was promptly extracted from the scene, her surroundings swirling in more color as her head span, before she felt herself deposited into an arena.

The girl huffed erratically on her knees, watching the pink-haired girl across from her do the same. She had been forced back into her body.

"What is _wrong_ with you?" gasped Sakura.

Her body was quivering even more than Ino's was, her entire form lined with perspiration. The trail of water down her cheeks didn't look like they came from sweat though. "What did you think you were doing?" She ground her teeth together, glaring at the blonde through her tear-swimming eyes.

"I-I..." Ino's eyes froze over the pinkette, too choked up to say anything more.

"What gave you the right to go through any of my memories? Don't you have any decency, any sense of respect at all?"

"But..." she squeaked. "...Sakura, I never meant to-"

"There are things that are private," she yelled. "Yet you thought you could just go snooping through my life for your own entertainment. I'm sorry if it isn't brimming with the rainbows and sunshine your life must be filled with. And now you just...you made me relive it all!"

Her voice faltered at the end, fists scraping at her eyes to get the tears out. She attempted to get to her feet, but only fell down again. Expelling Ino had expended her entire reserve of chakra, but the tearing she felt going on inside her was far worse. And she just couldn't stop shaking.

"I know we're opponents in all this, but that was too cruel."

Her anger was dying away, despair rapidly filling its place. Rage was far easier for Ino to see. She wouldn't have even minded if the pinkette pounded her to the ground. But the broken girl in front of her now, crumbling in sobs? This was far worse.

Ino stood up, teary blue eyes fixed on the misery she had caused. It was clear to everyone in the arena now – Sakura didn't even have the strength to stand, and was easy prey for the blonde.

Kakashi arched his body to step in, but there was no need.

"I give up," announced Ino flatly. "I forfeit the match. I don't want to fight anymore."

"No," mumbled Sakura, forcing herself onto her feet. "No, you can't be doing that."

The blonde had already started making her way to the upper level.

"Are you not hearing me? Stop it, just stop it! Turn around and finish this. Don't just walk away because you feel sorry for me. That's such a dishonorable way to win."

"No, Sakura," called Ino, her face blank. "_Fighting_ you would be dishonorable. You were right...about everything. And I'm so sorry."

The pinkette's trembling body lurched forward to follow after her before falling, her body suddenly cradled against Kakashi's chest.

"It's okay, Sakura," he soothed a she sobbed into his ninja vest. "It's all right now. You did so well, and we're all so proud of you. You don't have to prove anything to anyone."

A glimmer of blonde peaked through the corner of her watery vision, but she knew Naruto must have been beside her too. Her eyes lidded, finally allowing herself the peace of sleep.

Naruto watched Kakashi carry the girl out of the arena, his heart throbbing painfully in his chest. Why did his friend have to go through so much? And she felt things so much more than any of them did.

"Why'd you do all that Ino?" asked Naruto, expression hard as he faced the other blonde. She hadn't quite made it to the stairs yet, and her eyes were as guilt-stricken as he had hoped when she turned to him.

"I never meant to invade her memories," she explained mechanically. "It was an accident. I didn't want her to relive all the horrors she's been through."

"No, why'd you give up?" he pressed. "As annoying as you are, I don't believe you could do those things to Sakura-chan on purpose. But why did you walk away?"

"After what I did, I think she deserved the win more than I did. And besides I...I just wanted to stop causing her pain. I wanted all her hurt to stop. Even when I first saw her at the Academy, that's all I ever wanted for her..."

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -


	16. Intense Preparations

******Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**********RE-WRITE: 3/16/12**

* * *

_**Intense Preparations**_

The pink-haired girl paced slowly through her village streets, her whirling thoughts pulling her along the road. She had been filled in on what had transpired after her match – about Hinata's fall against the ruthless Neji, of Naruto's impressive victory over Kiba. But the last match had warranted the most concern.

Gaara had practically butchered Lee into defeat. It had been a bloodbath, the way Naruto had outlandishly described it. And apparently, it had left half of the boy's body crippled, barring him from further work as a ninja.

Her feelings on this were torn. Gaara had been her friend. To discover the malice he was capable of...it ripped her apart inside. Because she knew how kind he had once been, how timid, how gentle. Some unknown event in his life must have corrupted him.

And poor Lee. She had never known a soul more hardworking, more deserving of being a ninja than he. But now it was all over. She didn't have to imagine his anguish. She herself had nearly faced losing her hands and walking away from ninja life only a month ago. His situation was far worse though. After his rehabilitation, he would be living through what she only feared about.

The girl brushed a tear from her eye, sweeping all those thoughts aside. Brooding over these losses wasn't what she had left her apartment to do. There was the issue of the final exams, which would be held four weeks from today. Kakashi had explained the entire thing in her hospital room...

"_The final exams will be in the form of a tournament. Naruto will be going first against Neji. Sasuke faces Gaara in the second match. Your match is last and Dosu of the Hidden Sound will be your opponent. Dignitaries from all over the land will be coming to watch you all in a month's time, so we all best be ready."_

"_I've fought the Sound ninja before, sensei," remarked the pinkette. "He's also seen me fight. I know his tricks, but he knows all of mine too."_

"_That's why you're going to need some brand new jutsu. Unfortunately, I won't be able to oversee your training this time."_

"_Because of Sasuke," she finished for him. "You're the best person to help him with his Sharingan."_

_The silver-haired jounin eyed his pupil guiltily. "I promise I will do my best to find you a suitable teacher in the meantime."_

It had only been a day since then, but Sakura was already growing anxious about finding a sensei, someone who could upgrade her arsenal of ninjutsu. It was obvious to her during the exam of how crippled she was without it. She had been lucky so far, but she couldn't rely on wit and good fortune during the finals. She needed to win, and carry on to face off against Gaara. The boy seemed to respect power. Defeating him in battle might be the only way she could ever get through to him.

"Haruno Sakura."

The girl jumped in place, her heart following suit when she turned to the direction of her name. The scar-faced man kept his expression blank. "You're the proctor of the first exam."

"Morino Ibiki, yes. I've been looking for you."

Morino Ibiki, the commanding officer of the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force, wanted to speak to her? Given his occupation, this did not bode well. She half-hoped – and half-feared – that Kakashi had sent him to train her before the finals.

"We have urgent business to discuss. Please come with me."

* * *

The badly lit office was small, a table and two oppositely facing chairs the only furniture present under the solitary light bulb. She guessed he really wasn't about to discuss her training.

"We are aware of Abumi Zaku's threats during the chuunin exam preliminaries. You were the one in direct contact with him at the time of this event, and I'm here to find out your impressions of it."

"M-My impressions?" she stammered. "He threatened my teammate." It was obvious to anyone there of what had transpired. Ibiki himself was among the jounin who had witnessed it. Was she really brought in here just to be asked about that?

"We need you to divulge information that only you will have, like his facial expression, the exact tone of his voice. That's why you're here. We are trying to determine the validity of his words, or if he was simply trying to get a rise out of you."

Her eyes were fixed on the tabletop between them, and she closed them in thought. " '_We're going to come after Sasuke again, you know._' "

Ibiki watched the girl curiously. Her voice seemed different, forced and not hers.

" '_Me and my village – the entire Hidden Sound. One failed attempt won't stop us. Because when Orochimaru-sama wants something, he gets it. And you bet I'm gonna do everything in my power to help him after I leave this place._' Those were his exact words."

"Well I'll be damned," remarked Ibiki in amusement. "You even got his tone right. I bet you've got a near-eidetic memory, don'tcha?"

The girl remained expressionless, a hint of worry locked within her gaze when she reopened her eyes. Now she was going to be stuck obsessing about that event too. She had enough on her mind today.

"He was absolutely telling the truth," she said after a pause. "There's no question in my mind that he meant every word. I, I could just tell."

"Could you now?"

The girl nodded, still not facing him directly. "I get this weird feeling sometimes when I talk to people. I'm beginning to notice that it usually happens when they're lying to me. I didn't get that feeling when the Sound ninja said those things...unlike when you spoke to me earlier."

The interrogator did not flinch at her words, nor did he respond.

"You didn't bring me in here to find out about Zaku," she said finally. "But you weren't lying when you said you wanted to get my impressions on his threats. You're not interested in him. You want to find out about me."

"Oh, and what am I trying to decipher from you exactly?"

She visibly winced at his icy tone. He didn't have to use his tactics of intimidation on her. She would freely tell him whatever he wanted. She just wanted freedom from that suffocating room. "I-I only have theories on that, but one makes the most sense. I read it once, that on rare occasions the psych department employs trained interrogators to evaluate ninja for them, whenever they believe that they cannot gain a proper assessment without instilling some level of fear.

"As for why the psych department wants to evaluate me, well everyone saw how I almost lost it during the preliminaries."

A wave of silence was his only response.

"I just want to get out of here," she relented. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know. Is it my feelings during the threat that you're fishing for? It was...well I wasn't exactly angry. I wouldn't describe it that way. More like, like desperate. I just didn't want the bad things he was saying to happen. I felt sick about it the moment Kakashi-sensei stopped me. It was wrong and I'm sorry. And then with Ino, I sort of flipped out again but it was more out of, out of trauma. You don't know all the memories she forced me to-"

Her voice caught in her throat, and she swept away the tears that were building. "I shouldn't have yelled at her, and I'm so sorry for doing it. No one deserves that, especially when they did it accidentally. I just...it was so hard forcing her _out_. And I was so exhausted."

She hung her head, dipping lower into her seat. Saying this out loud only made her feel worse about the entire debacle. She was still upset with Ino about what had happened, but that was overshadowed by her own self-loathing. She never wanted to snap like that again, but what could she have done to stop it anyway?

"It was quite a feat that you got her out," he answered at last. Sakura dared a glance at him, baffled by the tiny curl of his lips. "It made for an interesting debate between Asuma and Kakashi."

"They were arguing?"

"It was more like an intellectual discussion," he chuckled. "Asuma said his student had exhausted her chakra and couldn't perform the jutsu properly. It also didn't help that her heart wasn't totally into the fight either, with all the grief you gave her. That's Sarutobi's story anyway. Kakashi says your physical and mental state after the tussle with Abumi Zaku evened things out on that end. He thinks the deciding factor was all you. You and that iron will of yours."

"Sensei really said I had an iron will?" she asked disbelievingly, fighting the fire in her cheeks.

The man only grinned. "You got a valiant heart, kid, and a strong sense of duty to match. I just had to test it for myself."

"A-And did I pass?" she questioned hesitantly, her courage dying.

The jounin rose from his chair, making his way toward the door. "You didn't get defensive about either incident, not even after you figured out I had lured you into the discussion with a lie. I myself didn't think you were as unstable as Kada Tarou made it seem but-"

"Kada Tarou?"

"He's the head of the psychology department. There were conflicting opinions, so we had to be sure. In the end though, you acted exactly like old Daisuke said you would."

"Sato-sensei knew about all of this too? And he stuck up for me. I-I'm almost embarrassed that I caused so much trouble."

The man studied the girl as she rose to follow after him. "Haruno Sakura..."

Her head snapped in his direction, her eyes wary of him again. He only chortled at the reaction.

"I like you, kid, and I don't say that to many. Just keep your fiery spirit stoking that iron will, and use both to protect your delicate heart."

"Ibiki-san..." She didn't know how to communicate her appreciation. The girl almost started asking him if he wouldn't mind being her teacher that month, but quickly decided against it. Who knew what awful jutsu he'd teach her?

The pinkette beamed softly at him. "You know, you have a really nice smile. I think you should do it more often."

The man barked loudly with laughter.

* * *

_I still need a sensei._

Another downtrodden walk the next morning carried her to a meadow on the outskirts of the Hidden Leaf, overlooking the bank of a lake. The picturesque scenery usually had an uplifting effect on her mood. But not even this earthly beauty could spare her of herself.

"Penny for your thoughts, Sakura-chan?"

The unfamiliar voice broke her despairing train of thought, as she turned to the woman picking flowers a few feet away.

Sakura scrutinized her for a moment when she stood. She looked to be about the same age and height as Kakashi, sporting white hair and icy blue eyes. This person had addressed her by name, so they must have met at some point.

"You don't remember me, do you?" she asked smartly. "It was such a long time ago, and you were so young...it's been over five years, if I'm not mistaken. I could never forget meeting someone with such unusual colored hair."

She usually got that. People seldom forgot coming across a person with pink hair, though she felt awful when she couldn't reciprocate the remembrance.

"It was in this same field," added the woman, prodding the girl's memory.

Pink eyebrows knitted in concentration, eyes roaming the space before finally widening in recollection. "Wait...you were picking flowers then too, weren't you?"

* * *

_Sakura hugged her knees closer to her frame, her eyes dimly registering the dancing green or sparkling blue surrounding her as she blankly stared forward. There probably should have been tears drowning those swollen eyes. It would have explained why they were burning. But after this most recent turn in her life, the girl doubted she'd ever be able to cry again. She must have exhausted her entire lifetime's supply of salty water after this week._

"_Penny for your thoughts?"_

_Her rigid body didn't react to the voice, nor the presence that planted itself beside her. If it was another village official telling her she had no place in Konoha, she didn't want to hear it. And on the off-chance that this was some enemy out to assassinate her...well, that prospect seemed more like a welcomed blessing right now._

"_It doesn't do well to dwell on the death of another, you know."_

_Sakura had to admit – she wasn't expecting that of all things. Not from a stranger. The only person in Konoha who had even attempted to console her after her tragedy was the Hokage. Not even the council seemed to care. Which begged the question..._

"_Who are you?" rasped the pinkette, eyes still fixed on nowhere._

"_Will giving you my name bring you closer to knowing who I am?"_

"_It's rude to answer a question with a question," she deadpanned. "Why are you talking to me?"_

"_Ah, now that's a relevant question worth answering," chirped the stranger. "Judging by your clad of black, I guessed you were sad and in mourning. That zombie-face of yours just about confirmed it. I figured I could cheer you up."_

"_You're doing very poorly," she answered flatly._

"_Nah, you're just stubborn. I'm giving you a chance to vent and feel better. But you know what they say about leading a horse to water."_

"_You think I __**want**__ to feel like this?" snapped the girl, eyes darting toward the blue-haired boy sitting beside her. He could have been in his late teens by the size of him. But Sakura spitefully estimated he lacked the maturity to be that old._

"_I think you're unwilling to try to let go," he shrugged, unperturbed by her reaction. "If you stay stuck looking backwards, you can't move forward. And like sharks, people need to keep moving forward to breathe life into their hearts. Otherwise, the soul just withers away and dies. All you have left is a shell of a person. That's all I'm trying to spare you of."_

"_You don't make sense," Sakura exasperated. "Just leave me alone. I don't have anything to live for anyway. My soul might as well be dead."_

"_But you-"_

"_Kiyoshi, why did you just disappear like that?" _

_A white-haired woman approached the seated pair, freighting a basket of flowers under one arm. _

"_I was worried," she reproached, unnerved by the teen. "And what are you doing with that girl? Is he bothering you, dear?"_

_The blue-haired boy rolled his eyes, rising to his feet with a stretch. "I wasn't troubling anyone, sheesh. I was actually being quite helpful."_

"_From whose perspective?" mumbled the pinkette. _

"_I apologize for his intrusion," appealed the woman, crouching to meet the girl at eye level. "You must excuse- ...you have such a curious hair color."_

_Sakura watched the lady's wide-eyed expression, blushing away from her._

"_Did your parents have hair like this? It's as pretty as a flower. I've never seen anything quite like it."_

"_N-No," she stammered. "No, my parents don't- ...__**didn't**__ have that."_

_The stranger's face dipped into one of solemnity and confusion. She hadn't failed to notice the small girl's correction._

"_Her parents are dead," sighed Kiyoshi. "Obviously. Hence all the black. __**That's**__ what I was trying to help with."_

"_They're dead? But you're..."_

_The girl's gaze slumped to the floor. Why couldn't these people just leave her alone already? Did she really have to broadcast her pain to strangers only two weeks after having her entire world uprooted and smoldered to ashes?_

"_It doesn't do well to dwell on the deaths of others, my dear."_

_Fingers cradled her cheek, forcing her eyes forward. They were greeted by a wave of light blue._

"_That's what __**I**__ said," heaved the boy._

"_We both lost our parents," continued the woman after a scathing glare at Kiyoshi. "We were very young, but we remember the feelings of loss. You must not allow yourself to despair. If you truly believe there no longer exists a reason to live, then make one. You are the sole architect of your life's design. What the world has crumbled, you can fashion anew."_

_Sakura stared into the snowy blue, her searing eyes prickling with a familiar sting._

"_I never...I never caught your name."_

* * *

"It's Kagura-san, right?

The white-haired woman's lips expanded into a smile. "So you do remember me."

The kunoichi nodded. "I haven't run into you since that time. Were you in the Hidden Leaf? And is that other boy with you?" Her eyes whirled about the space to spot Kagura's companion.

"I'm a traveler," explained the woman. "I never stay in one place for very long. Kiyoshi is...not with me at the moment."

"Oh," was all she responded.

"Has something been troubling you, dear?" asked Kagura after a pause.

"I was just thinking about some things. The chuunin exams actually."

"Are you competing in them?" inquired the woman. "A young ninja like you made it to the finals?"

The pinkette's cheeks mirrored her hair color. "I-I was just lucky."

"I'm sure you earned all that you've achieved," offered Kagura. "But what seems to be your dilemma? Is it nerves? I am sure you will do excellently."

"The nerves haven't hit me yet," she corrected warily. Was her tornado of worry supposed to get _worse_? "My jounin-sensei isn't free to train me this month. But I have to learn some new ninjutsu before the finals. I won't stand a chance without it."

"Hm, I see. You need a teacher."

Silence elapsed between the two as the woman held her chin in her hand.

"Would you be against _me_ training you?"

The girl's widened eyes did a double take. "You?" She absorbed the lady's plain attire. "Are you a ninja?"

"No, no, but I grew up around shinobi. I know a lot about the ninja world. I'm confident I could help you learn elemental-based ninjutsu, if you'd care to give it a try."

"E-Elemental ninjutsu?" repeated the girl slowly. "You could...you would teach me that? Fire, water, earth, lightning, wind?"

"Learning them all at once would be trying," joked the woman, grinning through Sakura's reaction. "I know of some natures better than others, so the amount I can teach you will depend on your predisposition."

The pinkette furrowed her eyebrows, but the woman waved it off.

"Excuse my language, I'll explain. You see, every person who can harness chakra possesses a chakra nature which their system naturally favors. Ninja typically discover and train in this nature first, since it is easiest. The most skilled can manipulate their chakra into more than one nature, but they all start with one."

"So how do we found out which one my system favors?"

"I'm already ahead of you." Kagura fished into the traveling bag she had been carrying and retrieved a small square of paper. "This will give us the answers we seek. All you have to do is focus your chakra into it and watch what happens."

Sakura accepted the page without dispute, eying it apprehensively while she focused her energy onto it. Her fingers abandoned their grip almost immediately when the parchment curled and began to break apart and disintegrate in her palm.

"Was that even normal?" She raised her worried gaze from the ashes on the ground to the woman. "It didn't feel normal at all."

"You are distressing yourself unnecessarily, Sakura-chan," comforted the woman with a smile and a pat on the shoulder. "I agree that this was an atypical reaction, but it only means your chakra is _special_."

"Special?"

She nodded. "You have an affinity for more than one chakra nature, though I don't quite understand the logistics of it myself. I've only ever read about such a nature-reaction, but worry not. I have a special type of paper that is more advanced for this kind of thing. We'll use that."

Kagura shifted to retrieve another item from her bag.

"You seem really prepared for this," commented Sakura as she anxiously and excitedly watched the lady explore her bag. "I can't believe my luck coming across a stranger with so many convenient items on hand."

"Well I'm not such a stranger," remarked the woman with a laugh. "And it's not so much your luck as my fiscally driven paranoia. Chakra paper is expensive. As a traveler with no real home, I've grown to keep all valuable items on me at all times- ...ah, here we go."

Kagura presented another piece of paper, this one adorning various symbols on the outer edges. The candy-haired girl gripped the page and repeated the process. After a wave of her chakra, the sheet crimpled into a wet mass.

"Water natured chakra," chirped Kagura. "Yes, this is a nature I know quite well. It is the most flexible type of chakra, although fairly difficult to control. Are you ready for it?"

Sakura watched her new teacher blankly. This was her chance to really expand her ninjutsu. And she needed it. She thought of her most dangerous adversaries – Haku, the armored ninja, Orochimaru, Zaku. They had all threatened her friends, and she had barely managed to protect them, with the guilty exception of Orochimaru. She winced at the thought of him.

Then there was Gaara. She had to save him somehow, or at the very least fulfill her duty as an old friend and remind him of the kind past-self he was disregarding. With the matches arranged as they were, she needed to make it to the final match to face him. That would be her only chance to help him, and she needed to survive until then.

Her shock rose into a blaze of resolve and fortitude.

"I _am_ ready for this, Kagura-san. I have to be."

* * *

"This is so frustrating..."

With an escaped sigh of defeat, Sakura floundered onto her back, her previously curled legs stretched across the wet grassy earth. She had been at her training for hours with little success. As she lay under the afternoon sun, Kagura's instruction echoed in the forefront of her mind.

"_The first step involves learning how to sense the water. One has to almost make a connection with it – sense its movement, its energy, its flow. Become one with it. That way, the minimum amount of chakra can be used to expertly manipulate it."_

_The pinkette gave an earnest nod. "What do I have to do?"_

"_Take a seat near the lake and meditate. Focus, become one with your surroundings and concentrate your chakra on the water. Keep in mind that the water is constantly moving, so this will be difficult. You will have to adjust your senses accordingly._

"_The longer you sit here, the closer you will become to establishing the connection. As you become practiced, it should be automatic, hopefully to the point where you can strongly reconnect even in the midst of a battle. But this will take time and quite a bit of effort. Most ninja who use water manipulation don't really do all of this, but I believe this will bring out your full potential for control."_

"_Yes, sensei."_

_The woman exhaled a tiny chuckle. "Kagura is fine, Sakura-chan. I doubt someone like me would make for a worthy sensei anyway."_

_The girl only offered a sheepish smile._

"_I shall return in a few days to check your progress. Good luck." _

Her fingers trailed to her temple, eyes lidded as she eased her developing headache. For all her hours of focusing, of fighting to hold her concentration, and all she had to show for it all day was maintaining almost a minute of water contact and a migraine.

_I can sense something faint, even now. It's there, but every time I zero in on it, every time I try to hold on to it, it just slips right through my fingers like...ugh, like __**water**__. And the more I try to hold on, the more it just gets away._

There was another deep exhale. _How can I become one with something that's constantly running away from me?_

Her eyes fluttered open toward the sky, her vision assaulted by a spiky blur of purple. The girl was wrenched onto her feet mid-gasp, her world whirling to a halt as she found herself smothered in a choke hold.

"I've been lookin' all over for yuh, half-pint. Time to start your training!"

Sakura blearily registered the knuckles grating above her head, her brain fading through her dwindling supply of oxygen.

"Hey, what's wrong with you? Answer your sensei when she speaks to you. Hey..."

The woman released the pinkette, bouncing her back and forth as she shook her to attention. Sakura wobbled in place when she finished, her bluing features gradually dissipating.

"Uh, oh. Guess it was a little hard for yuh to breathe back there haha."

The girl only aimed a feeble glare at the purple-haired woman's sheepish grinning as she wheezed for air.

"Anko-san...the second proctor...for the chuunin exams? What are you...doing here?"

"You should catch your breath before you start speaking," she chimed. "And it's Anko-_sensei_ now."

Sakura's glare only grew stronger. Did she think being so evasive with a girl whom she had nearly suffocated was funny?

"Your old sensei sent me over," explained Anko at last. "Heard you were in need of a teacher before the finals. I'm chipping in."

"Kakashi-sensei asked _you_ to train me? And you accepted?"

"Oh, Kakashi 'n me go waaaaay back. On a personal level, see. It still took some, uh, interesting persuasive tactics on his end, but he got me to agree. I'm such a great person."

Her brow rose at her trill of laughter.

"Now," she barked, light mood snapping to stern, "your training begins this instant, half-pint. I'm no pushover, so let's go! Give me ten laps around the lake as a start! We need to load up your stamina right away!"

"Anko-san, just hold on..."

"We're burnin' daylight with all this chatter, now get moving!"

A rough slap to the back sent the girl crashing into dirt.

"What the hell, half-pint?" Sakura was yanked to a stance once again. "The only reason I thought this had a chance of working is because of that fire I saw in you during the exams. What gives?"

"I already found a trainer," she blurted in frustration. "So-So there's no need to trouble yourself with me."

"You got someone already? Who? No way they're better than me. Damn that Kakashi, he told me this was a done deal."

The pinkette rubbed her temple, her migraine returning with a vengeance. Anko's volume and abuse only worsened things. What had Kakashi been thinking? That she'd get stronger after being this woman's personal punching bag for a month?

"I met someone yesterday. She agreed to help me...n-not that I don't appreciate your offer, Anko-san."

"And someone just randomly shows up agreeing to train you, and you think that isn't fishy? I'm a respected jounin of the Hidden Leaf. Who's this other chick?"

"I met her some time ago," Sakura defended. "Her motives are pure, I can tell."

"Are you sure? The selection of a sensei isn't a matter to be taken lightly." Contrary to Anko's typically jovial air, the look of intensity in her eyes evoked a gravity Sakura had never seen in her.

"Teaching isn't a definitively linear exchange. Senseis impart more than just techniques on their students. They leave behind a piece of themselves in you, no matter how little time you spend with them. They become a part of you, and they remain a part of you forever."

Sakura only watched as the woman's gaze drifted to some far off place. This issue seemed personal to the jounin somehow. But she wouldn't understand. Nothing Kagura told her was a lie, she could sense it. Her intentions were genuine. Whatever Anko's suspicions were, they were emotionally and irrationally motivated.

"Did you get to see that Curse Mark in action yet?"

A chill rolled down the girl's spine as her eyes froze on the woman staring off into space.

"Orochimaru's a nasty piece of work, and you can bet that seal of his is no different. Your friend's going to have a hard time keeping it at bay, but he _has_ to. At all costs. I'll put him down myself if he ever gets out of hand."

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Sakura icily, unappreciative of the woman's threat.

"Because you're hell-bent on saving him," she answered, her lips tightened into a small grin. "Figured I could at least give you a decent shot at it. The mark feeds off of the darkness in one's heart. That's how it takes root and thrives in your soul like a parasite, until it consumes your mind and takes over. That's what Orochimaru wants to happen with Sasuke."

The purple-haired woman turned to face Sakura, staring intently into her earnest gaze of emerald.

"Erase the darkness in him. That'll be you're only shot at keeping him from Orochimaru. And if you can't then I'll have to do it my way, got it?"

The pinkette only nodded, grateful for the woman's information. And equally terrified by it.

* * *

Her skin lay beaten against the cool December breeze, but the girl held her stance against the wall. She had been waiting there for so long. A few more minutes wouldn't kill her, right? She had to relay her message. It was important. She had to tell her...

"Hey, what are you doing out here?"

She spun on the spot, but became crestfallen when she saw whose voice it was. "Oh, hey Tenten. What's going on? You look beat."

"That's because I am," she sighed, approaching the girl. "The chuunin exam finals are in two weeks and Neji's been training nonstop. And since I've been helping him out, _I've_ been training nonstop too. It's really tiring but I'm happy to help out. I won't be surprised if he wins the whole thing, if he masters his technique in time."

The girl appeared to be only half-listening, her eyes whipping toward one street corner or another when she heard footsteps. Was her target going to be a no-show today too?

"You aren't even paying attention to me, are you? Just who are you looking for anyway?"

A distracted "Hm?" was her only response. "Did you say something, Tenten?"

"Jeez what is with you? You've been pretty spacey ever since that triple-match in the preliminaries. What gives?"

"O-Oh, it's nothing. I'm just...it gave me a lot to think about, that's all."

"You mean about Sakura."

Her bravado crumbled at the name. There was so much that went on between them during that battle. And so much more that was left unsaid. That's why she had to hurry up and find her.

"You can't keep beating yourself up about it, Ino. It was obvious to everyone that you didn't mean to go poking around in her head. I'm sure she understands that."

"It's not just that," disagreed the blonde with a shake of her head. "This was more than just an invasion of privacy. So much more. I made her relive so many of the awful things she's been trying so hard to forget. What I did...it was unforgivable."

Ino's voice broke in the end, earning a frown from the brunette. "It wasn't your fault. And besides, when she started fighting back and we heard all that screaming, it was barely a minute before you were back in your body-"

"It doesn't matter," snapped Ino, before taking a pause to compose herself.

"The mind is capable of an infinite number of thoughts in one minute, especially when that mind belongs to a genius like Sakura. Memory searching is one of the techniques of my clan, but I've never trained for it. According to my dad, I only saw a fraction of whatever was going on inside her head. And the pieces that I did see, it was just..."

The blonde suppressed a shudder before continuing, her voice barely above a whisper. "I could _feel_ what she felt, Tenten. She had so much, and she lost just as much too. I have to find her. I have to tell her how sorry I am. I've been waiting around outside her apartment all week after my shifts at the flower shop just to catch her, but I haven't had any luck."

"Oh, Ino...and you're sure this is her building? You've been inside her apartment before?"

"I...it's a long story, but I'm sure this is it. I still can't seem to find her anywhere."

"I know she visits Lee a lot," commented Tenten. "He told me so, though he's been pretending to be asleep each time. Something about not being able to face her in his condition, the poor guy. But other than that, I'm guessing she's been training just as hard for the finals as Neji. You've got to give yourself a break, Ino. Take it easy. Maybe you'll have better luck running into her at the hospital."

* * *

"I can't believe I can sense all this."

The pinkette was meandering through the forest along her purposeful path, her new teacher in tow. "The lake's water reservoir has a massive underground system, Kagura-san. It's incredible. We've been walking for an hour now and I can still feel it out here."

"Don't lose sight of the goal of this exercise," advised Kagura, failing to hide the smile in her voice. "Over the last two weeks, you've learnt how to establish a connection with water sources, and even manipulate them with your chakra to a certain extent. This test is the next step in your training."

"You want to evaluate how well I can connect with underground sources," finished Sakura. "If I can find where the lake's reservoir resurfaces as a river, it means that part of the training is complete and I can move on to learning actual jutsu, right?"

"Exactly. But there's another reason for this. I haven't forgotten about our dilemma regarding using water jutsu in a battle arena."

"Right," remarked the girl, tone deflating as they continued on their hike. "There won't be any lakes or rivers for me to use there."

"I'd like to test whether underground water is a viable option for you. If you can sense the water within the earth, as a rule you should be able to learn how to manipulate it. But we're only working with theories now. Don't lose hope."

"I guess," she agreed weakly.

"Enough of that, Sakura-chan, you've been doing so well. Better than I would have ever anticipated in fact. Acknowledging progress is as important as pinpointing your weaknesses. If you keep going at this pace, I expect you may be able to learn more than the one water jutsu I estimated we would have time for."

"You really think so?" The pinkette halted, studying her sensei.

"Yes," she answered, giving a firm nod. "Now I must be heading off. Please continue following the reservoir and let me know if you find the river when we meet tomorrow morning. I expect you should come across it soon."

"Thank you for another lesson today, Kagura-san."

"You don't need to thank me every time we part," chuckled the woman.

"I-I just want you to know how appreciative I am of you," the girl answered sheepishly. "You've helped me so much with my training...a-and that other problem too."

"You mean with your unconscious friend at the hospital?" The pinkette nodded. "I hardly did a thing. Just remember what I told you about the daffodil. Take care, Sakura-chan."

The two parted ways, and Sakura continued on her quest for the river.

True to Kagura's words, it did not take long before she heard the rush of a stream just beyond the shrubs she had been struggling through. But there were other sounds too. Scuffles, and hits, and yelps...there was a brawl going on.

Sakura skittered toward the commotion, sweeping one last bush aside before her eyes beheld the outrageous sight before her.

"Come on, is that the best you got? We can do better, believe it!"

Dozens of Naruto shadow clones littered the river bank, stubbornly hammering each other to a pulp. It was the most ridiculous – not to mention disturbing – thing she had seen her knuckle-headed teammate do yet. And he had done some pretty outlandish things.

"N-Naruto," she asked hesitantly, making her way toward the affray, "what in the world are you doing?"

"Sakura-chan? Hi!" The clones halted their work, their faces exploding into smiles as Naruto ran to his friend. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever! How's your training going? You must be getting super strong now, huh? What have you been up to? What kind of jutsu have you been workin' on? I bet it's top-secret but I just can't wait to see it. I know it's just gonna be the awesomest thing you've ever-"

"You're rambling," she exhaled. "Even more than you usually do." The girl spared him an empathetic smile, reading his feelings. She had missed too.

"Hey, Naruto," sang a voice just beyond them, "I don't hear you punching your own lights out. This part of your training is important. Don't tell me you knocked yourself out _again_?"

A white-haired man materialized from behind the hedges. His long, spiky hair and red markings on his face tickled something in Sakura's memory but she couldn't quite place him. She had the distinct feeling she had seen him in a book somewhere.

The old man made a beeline for Sakura, gently stroking her held hand. "Oh, why hello there. What brings such a beautiful flower such as yourself to a big, dark, dangerous forest like this, hm?"

"Ero-sennin, that's gross! Sakura-chan is my teammate! Not to mention you're like ten times older than her."

"E-ro-sen-nin?"

The pinkette missed the glaring match between the pair, fixated on the odd nickname. _This guy is...a pervert? Is that where I've seen him? On a list of Konoha sex-offenders? What's Naruto doing hanging around someone like that in the forest all by himself?_

Her emerald eyes darted to the man. He winced under her suspicious gaze.

"You twit! I told you to stop calling me that! You're giving your cute friend such a horrendous image of me. My name is Jiraiya. _Ji-rai-ya_, the Great Toad Sage!"

"Y-You're Jiraiya-sama?" blurted Sakura incredulously. "He's one of the three Legendary Sannin, Naruto. You should show him more respect than that."

"Listen to the pretty girl," agreed Jiraiya. "At least someone understands who they're talking to. I'm great, and you should treat me as such."

"You may be great," deadpanned Naruto, allowing a pause as his narrowed eyes met the man's. "But...you're still a pervert."

A series of yelps and blows were exchanged after that, effectively silencing the blonde to the ground, his armada of clones disappearing.

"So it's Sakura, right?" asked Jiraiya, tone unperturbed by the twitching boy at his feet. "What brings you all the way out here?"

The pinkette offered her beaten friend a look of concern before hesitantly addressing the man. Was their relationship always this abusive? Thank goodness Kagura wasn't like that.

"Following the underground reservoir of a lake was part of my training. It lead me to this river and- ...are you sure Naruto's going to be all right?"

"Oh, him? He's fine, he's fine," waved off the sannin, fist full of papers. Was he a writer? "The kid may be a talentless clod but he never does give up. So you're training in water style jutsu."

"Y-yes," she stammered, forcing her gaze away from her teammate. "I'll leave you all to your training, Jiraiya-sama. Please take care of Naruto. O-Oh, and be careful of your papers too. It's really humid here, and the water is already seeping into the pages."

Jiraiya examined the papers in his hands. "Sure, thanks kiddo. And don't worry about your little friend." The man briskly swept the blonde onto his feet, clapping his shoulder and grinning widely. "We're doing just great, see?"

The boy woozily waved good-bye to the pinkette, her expression growing even more troubled as she turned to make her leave.

"You really like her, don't you kid?"

Naruto's stance stiffened under his teacher knowing gaze. Sakura was barely out of earshot. Had she heard the pervy man?

"Huh? W-What makes you say that?"

"Oh please," chuckled Jiraiya, rolling his eyes. "You're even more flighty and uncoordinated when that girl's around. She's out of your league, I'll admit, but I gotta admire your ambition."

"I know," confessed Naruto, eyes aimed in the direction she had headed. "Sakura-chan is more awesome than I ever imagined back in the Academy. But she's been worried lately. She's always worrying..."

_So she took after him in that way after all,_ pondered Jiraiya as Naruto returned to his training. It had been so long since he had seen her. The girl had grown quite a bit, but who could ever forget that striking pink hair.

_And to think she has the talent to sense something as minute as the water vapor in the air condensing on these pages in my hands. So both sides are..._

"I have to get stronger!"

Jiraiya smirked at the yelling boy as he feverishly whipped his fists at his newly-created clones.

"I'll learn that summoning jutsu yet. And then I'll wipe the floor with you, Sasuke!"

* * *

The final two weeks of preparation whirled by. Even as she finished paying for her food along with her dinner partner, her grateful thoughts were on Kagura. The woman was a Godsend. How else could you describe someone able and willing to teach a lowly gennin water jutsu in a small matter of a month?

"Jeez you're spacey tonight," teased the boy. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you didn't want to be out with me right now."

"No, it's not that at all," insisted Sakura, shaking her head for emphasis. "I'm really glad you joined me for dinner, Kiba-san. It's helping me keep my mind off things. But every now and then...you know."

"I gotcha," he chuckled as they made their way out of Ichiraku's. "So you're nervous about the big finals tomorrow morning huh?"

"A bit," she admitted guiltily. "But right now, I was just thinking about Kagura-san."

"You mean the woman who was training you this month. Weren't you saying you were supposed to be out with her tonight?"

The girl nodded. "I wanted to thank her for all her help with dinner. But when I went to the lake for our last session today, all I found was this."

She procured a piece of paper from her maroon pouch and presented it to the gennin.

_Dearest Sakura-chan,_

_I sincerely apologize for this, but I will be unable to meet with you for our last session today. A problem has arisen demanding my immediate attention, and I must leave the village. I am disappointed in missing your match, for I am sure it would make for an amazing one. It has been a privilege to teach you, and I trust that our paths will cross again soon. Always do your best and try not to worry so much, dear. Take care of yourself._

_Kagura_

"Bummer." Kiba returned the note. "So just like that she's gone."

"Looks like it. I didn't even get to thank her for all that she's done for me."

"Knowing you, I'm sure you've been thankin' her plenty," joked Kiba. "You are the Captain of Courtesy, after all."

"You and these silly nicknames," she laughed. "When will you start using my real name, Kiba-san?"

"When you start using mine. Kiba-_san_ doesn't suit me at all."

Sakura only rolled her eyes as they walked, though her grin gave her away.

"You still haven't told me the story behind your dog-hatred."

"What makes you think there's a story?" she asked after a pause.

"Because your aversion to them is pretty specific," he answered smartly. "You like other animals, like that cat you tried to find. And you're brave enough to face down tough ninja. There has to be a reason why little puppies are your Achilles' heel."

The candy-haired girl kept her expression blank, considering the boy pacing beside her.

"You don't have to tell me right away," he offered finally. "But one day, when you're ready, I'd really like to hear it. The sooner you get over your dislike of canines the better. Akamaru wants to get to know you himself. Poor guy's gettin' tired of hearing about you secondhand."

Her lips curled, though she said nothing. Kiba really knew how to treat his friends and she had seen it – with herself, Hinata, and especially in his very best friend, Akamaru. He deserved better than what she could give, and she knew it. But she wouldn't stop trying anyway.

"You realize we're heading toward the hospital," chimed Kiba. "Hoping to visit your teammate, huh?"

"Sasuke?"

"Nah, I ran into him the other day on a hike. He's safely training in the Kanto Mountains with Kakashi-sensei, so quit your worrying. I'm talking about that other one."

"What happened to Naruto? Is he all right?"

"He's fine, just exhausted from what I hear," barked Kiba in amusement. "He really overdid things with his training. So who are you headed there to see then?"

"Lee-san. He's still..."

Silence fell between the two as they finally stood before Konoha Hospital.

"I'll go in with you," said Kiba. "Chouji's in there too with a case of indigestion, so I might as well stop in to see everybody."

* * *

The hallways had an eerie air to them as they tread through the hospital wing. The pair soon came across two boys, plotting loudly in the corridor.

"Naruto, I wasn't expecting to see you out of bed," stated Sakura. "You've gotten better?"

"Sakura-chan! And Kiba too. Of course I'm better, believe it. It wasn't a big deal in the first place."

"Yeah, no big deal. Forget the fact that you were unconscious for three days straight," droned the other boy.

"You came here to visit your teammate, Shikamaru?"

"We're not just gonna visit him," giggled Naruto, gaze heavy with mischief as he presented the basket of fruits he had been freighting. "Chouji can't eat many foods right now, so we're sneaking into his room and eating these fruits right in front of him, hehehe."

"What?" reproached Kiba. "That's the most underhanded, immature prank I've ever heard."

Sakura only nodded, her stony face empty of amusement.

"Sounds like fun, I'm in! Where's his room at?"

Blurs of grey, white and orange flurried past her, and in seconds she found herself alone in the hallway. Her expression soured.

_Boys...I'll never understand them._

The girl made her way down the familiar route to Lee's room and, as usual, she found him fast asleep. As often as she visited, she never could catch him conscious. Was he still that physically weak?

"Hello, Lee-san," she greeted to the mute lump. "I hope you're doing better today."

She wheeled herself around his cot, studying him before turning to the flower standing on the bedside table. A single daffodil – the flower Kagura had once suggested.

"_So you haven't been able to speak to your hospital friend?"_

"_No," answered the pinkette, sleepily flopped under a tree. "He's never awake. I just want him to know I've been thinking of him. That I'm there for him."_

"_Well there is more than one way to communicate that," suggested the woman, turning on her side to retrieve something. She rolled back to present a crown of white petals, brilliant yellow in the center._

"_A daffodil?"_

"_Daffodils are, in my belief, one of the most noble of flowers. They bravely endure the long months of winter, and blossom forth as a sign of the coming spring."_

_Kagura handed the petalled plant to her student._

"_Leave a daffodil for him when you visit, as a symbol of your hope for him to one day flourish after his harsh recovery. This will let him know your feelings."_

"And that's what the daffodil means," finished Sakura. "I really believe in you, Lee-san. Those medics, they're wrong about you, they have to be. They don't even know about your genius. You do things that are impossible to accomplish. If they say being a ninja is impossible, then I just know you'll be able to work your way around it. Just please, please don't give-"

Traces of gold trickled into the corners of her vision. The girl spun on her heel, a mountainous load of sand snaking before her. Her widened eyes snapped toward the redhead commanding the granular weapon.

"Gaara-kun, just what do you think you're doing in here?"

She raised a kunai against him defensively, though a part of her truly didn't believe he would really attack her. She was his friend once. How could he bear to?

"I came in here to kill him," he rasped flatly. "I'll kill you too if you get in my way."

"W-What?" she choked, kunai unsteady in her shaking hands. The bloodlust in his eyes was unmistakable, his threat holding the utmost sincerity. Sakura blinked, and blinked again, but his cold, hardened image was still there. This couldn't be happening. That couldn't be Gaara.

"I'd back off of her if I were you."

The hovering sand sifted to the floor, allowing Sakura to discern three more bodies near the room entrance.

"I've got him caught in my Shadow Possession. Get over here, Sakura."

"I-I won't," she recovered. "I won't leave Lee-san."

"What a drag...well Sand ninja, we got you surrounded with four against one. So why don't you just agree to get out of here peacefully and maybe we'll let you go."

Gaara's expression remained impassive. "I'll tell you what I told the girl. Stay out of my way, or I'll kill you all."

"This guy's serious," gritted Kiba. "We've got to play this right."

"No way we're gonna let you hurt Bushy Brow or Sakura-chan. You think you're so scary, but you're not so tough. Why are you doing all this?"

"You couldn't begin to understand me. I can't be judged by your standards."

"Please don't do this, Gaara-kun," pleaded Sakura. "We knew each other once. You weren't like this. You were...you were _good_. I don't know what happened to make you like this, but I won't stop trying to remind you that things were happy once."

"Happy?" he scoffed. "No fraction of my childhood was ever happy. In fact, I think I'll just explain why it was so unhappy. Maybe then you'll stop foolishly asserting that you ever knew me."

Her mouth went dry as she watched him. Was she really prepared to hear this? But this is what she wanted, wasn't it? A conversation about his past, his life. Then perhaps she could finally get him to remember.

"My life began with the destruction of the woman who gave birth to me. I was born the carrier of a sand demon, and with it I carry chaos every place I go. And you still wish to make the argument that I was happy? I was born the son of the great Kazekage to be the weapon and hero of the Hidden Sand. I was protected and pampered for such a role, but my elders gradually realized something went wrong in me."

The pinkette only gaped at him. Was this the burden her Gaara had been carting all this time? Was that the source of his timidity as a child? Of his disbelief that he ever deserved anything good? Of his desperation to hold onto her?

But she did hold onto him. He was the one who had forgotten her.

"You think having a demon inside you gives you the right to go around killing people?" argued Naruto. "That's just sick."

"It's far more complicated than that," answered Gaara evenly. "I told you, I won't be judged by your standards. By the time I was six, I had become a figure of terror – a relic of the past the villagers wished would disappear. I was an unstable demon, existing only as a threat to the very village I was meant to save. And to avert that threat, my father ordered attempts to kill me more times than I can even count."

Sakura's hand fisted to her chest. His story was unbearable. Her ears burned just hearing him. How could she miss this? She had been so quick to assert that they were friends once. But he was right to forget her. She had never known him at all.

"So you see, I failed at the one purpose I was created for" he continued, his tone empty of any emotional dips. "What was there left for me in this existence? Why go on living? For a long time, I didn't have an answer to that. But people need a purpose to exist. Living without a reason...it's the same as being dead.

"In time I came to realize it. With every assassin I eliminated, my sense of belonging in this world grew stronger, and my path, my purpose...it all became clear to me. My reason for being lies in the killing of others. Just as the death of one brought me to life, it is the deaths of others that sustain me. They are a reminder of my existence, of my right to be here. And now, I am at peace."

Sakura felt the blood drain from her face, her heart so heavy she wouldn't have been surprised if it stopped beating. She watched her old friend in horror, her eyes drifting to the other boys in the room. Kiba and Shikamaru appeared equally chilled, but Naruto was just about petrified in place, his eyes like cerulean saucers. The blonde was shaken to his very core. Even on their most dangerous missions, Sakura had never seen him like this. It was as if he was gawking at a ghost.

"All right, that's enough," commanded a voice from the hallway. Might Guy marched into the room, his expression hard. He must have known why Gaara had been in here. "Save your energy for tomorrow. You're only wasting it here now get going."

Gaara's sea green eyes studied the jounin, his gaze unwavering. His sand returned to the gourd on his back, and Shikamaru relinquished him from his Shadow Possession in the same move.

"Mark my words..." The redhead sauntered toward the window. "...before tomorrow is over...I will kill you all. Especially you." He glared at Sakura, and she only gaped back blankly. What he had told them, it was already too much.

The boy dematerialized in an explosion of sand, the grains wisping through the opened window.

"Man, what a drag. What was that all about?"

"I have no clue, but that guy's a total psycho," remarked Kiba. "I hope Sasuke puts him down tomorrow. The world's a better place without someone like that."

"Don't say that," rasped Sakura, fighting to find her voice. "He-He didn't mean the things he said. He just...he couldn't. He's confused."

"Were we in the same room just a while ago?" retorted Kiba. "The dude's a monster. You can't be thinking of trying to reach out to him. Promise me that. You'll just get yourself killed."

The pinkette turned to her stupefied teammate. He hadn't made one outburst, or said a single word for that matter. It was so unlike him. Something was wrong. Something that Gaara said had broken something in him. But there were too many disturbing things about his speech to narrow down anything significant.

"Wow, I didn't know so many people were allowed in here."

Chouji's voice drew her eyes to the rest of the room. His female teammate was there too.

"We were looking all over for you, Shikamaru," said Ino, though her eyes rested squarely on the pinkette. "And Sakura, I've been meaning to talk to you too. I need to-"

"Not now, Ino-san," said the girl, not meaning to sound so dismissive. She was just so tired, she could feel her head throbbing. "Please."

"B-But Sakura, I-"

"Not a good time, Ino," asserted Shikamaru. "Trust me, it is _so_ not a good time."

Sakura ignored the eyes on her, turning back to her teammate. He had to be her main concern right now. "Naruto..."

She placed his hand in hers, the unexpected contact forcing his dazed eyes to hers. She offered him a forced but weak smile. "Let's head back to your hospital room, 'kay? I'll stay with you. As long as you need me."

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -


	17. The Final Test

******Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**********RE-WRITE: 3/16/12**

* * *

_**The Final Test**_

It was a sleepless night for many of the gennin, including Sakura and her blonde teammate. The pair had wordlessly sat together in Naruto's hospital room until they were reluctantly claimed by sleep.

Sakura awoke before the blonde, leaving him to snooze while she left to get her affairs in order – showering, breakfast, packing her weapons, checking in for the finals. Even with all her errands, it was still early as she strolled down one of the walkways. But she was thankful for that time. She needed it to get her head together. To figure out what she would do about Gaara. If she could even do anything at all.

"You seem troubled, Sakura. These little matches getting to you?"

The pinkette barely noticed the presence of the Third Hokage until he stood straightly before her with his palms behind his back. He always looked so regal that way.

"H-Hokage-sama," she stammered, stiffly arching into a bow. "I-I didn't see...I mean, I'm sorry I..."

The old man chuckled lightly, planting a hand on her shoulder and forcing her upward. "I've told you a thousand times, Sakura. There's no need for you to pay an old coot like me such respects."

"B-But you're the Hokage, our esteemed village leader. And, well, you're not _so_ old, sir."

Another wave of laughter left him. "What seems to be troubling you this fine morning?"

"Just, just thinking about things, Hokage-sama. A lot of things."

"Ah yes, from the time we first met, you were always such a contemplative child. Perhaps a not-so-old man like me could lighten your mind's load."

"It's really nothing," she insisted. "I-I can handle it." The leader of the entire Hidden Leaf didn't need to be burdened by her worries.

"If your troubles could somehow be alleviated by the benefits of my experience, I would feel quite guilty if I had the opportunity to help you and did not."

"Well, Hokage-sama..." she began, unsure of how exactly to word what she had been wondering. "Is it possible to...I mean, do you think people can change their hearts?"

"Change is the one thing in our world that knows constancy. Nothing ever stops undergoing one transformation or another. I imagine people's hearts are the same. We are all capable of growth and refinement."

"But what if...what if that change was something _bad_. A-And you wanted to get them to change to something better?"

"Ah, now that's a trickier situation," he remarked. "It involves two very difficult things. The first is correcting a negative change. That takes far more effort, like fighting an uphill battle – wearisome but not impossible. The second is desiring an outside source to enforce a specific change in another. We all influence each other in various ways, but those ways are not always as predictable as we hope."

"So then... it's not possible."

The elderly man regarded her crestfallen visage warmly. "I understand the overwhelming desire to change another, to turn their lives toward something better. It is a powerful act, but as human beings our power over others is limited, and it should be so. What would our world be like, if we could force our wills on others?"

"Do I stand back and do nothing then? Is that really all I can do, Hokage-sama? Even for someone I care about?"

"Well now, I didn't say all that," corrected the old man, a small smile in place. "We may not exert absolute control over others, but I did say we can influence them.

"It is my belief that a heart is like a massive mountain, with rivers of emotion flowing through it. Each emotion carves a different path through your heart, but some rivers do not withstand the test of time as well as others. The events of our lives can diverge water from one river of love, for example, and a new path of hatred is forged from it. But that river of love, however dried out it may be, leaves an imprint on that mountain. It is a reminder that such love once passed through here. Do you follow what I'm saying?"

"I'm trying to," she said. "So even when our hearts change, deep inside us we still have a reminder of what previous feelings felt like."

"Yes exactly. The river's path remains carved there. And sometimes, people can be reminded of those paths and learn to follow them once again."

"So, it _is_ possible to change people?"

"There is a varying degree of possibility."

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows, looking more bewildered than ever. "This is so complicated," she sighed, earning a chortle from the Hokage.

"Indeed. My only wish for you, Sakura, is to appreciate the difficulty of what you will be facing and to not despair if things don't turn out as you wish. Conversely, do not lose hope. Do your best to remind your friend of true love and friendship, through words and especially action. You cannot control how they will react, only that you try your hardest to save them. Sometimes, that is all we can expect. We must be forgiving of ourselves for the rest."

"I think I sort of get what you're saying," nodded Sakura. "Thank you for your help, Hokage-sama." She bowed to the old man. "You've given me a lot to think about."

"Hahaha yes, I imagine I did." He lifted his palm to her chin. "You carry so much potential. Do not allow the world's hardships to ever stifle that Will of Fire burning so strongly within you, Sakura. Remain like your mother in that way."

Her emerald eyes studied the man's lined face in awe of him. Konoha's village officials always seemed aloof and so separate from the actual village. But the Third, he felt like part of the people. Their true guardian and voice. He was always so kind to her too, even though she was technically yet untechnically a foreigner.

"Hokage-sama," announced a shaggy-haired ninja, senbon needle jutting from his mouth. "You're needed in the stadium. The dignitaries shall be arriving shortly."

"Very well," answered the man. "I'm afraid we must part ways, Sakura. Best of luck in your endeavor, as well as your match today. I trust you will represent our village well." He motioned toward the other shinobi. "Give me the current status of the tournament, Genma."

"All notable guests are on schedule for arrival. Check-in time has expired and all gennin have successfully checked in but one, sir. Uchiha Sasuke has yet to appear, but there is another matter we must..."

The pair wandered out of earshot, but Sakura had overheard enough to become slightly alarmed.

Sasuke hadn't arrived yet. He wasn't the type to chance missing his match, not when he had fought against so many (including her) to get there. What could have happened? Who could have...?

The trio of Sand ninja ambling in the distance toward the stadium answered her question for her. She had already witnessed Gaara's attempted murder of Lee. Did he get impatient with Sasuke and confront him before their scheduled match? The pinkette felt a dip of guilt for thinking of her old friend in that way, but she quickly shook it off. If Sasuke's well-being was in question, she couldn't afford the mercy of wishful thinking.

She couldn't be certain if she was just overreacting, but she had to be certain her friend was all right. Kiba had mentioned the Uchiha's location in passing just last night. It seemed wrong not to check things out for safe measure. And so, she sped toward the Kanto Mountains.

* * *

The gusts of air merciless battered against the rocky peaks littering the valley. Today was especially wind-whipped atop their stony crown, as they adamantly completed the final portions of their training.

"Well now, I think we've managed to get you just about to perfection."

"Just about won't cut it," asserted the dark-haired boy. "This needs to _be_ perfect."

"Ambition is a blessing and a curse sometimes," sighed the jounin. "But if you keep pushing it now, you won't have any steam left for your actual match. Then what good would extra speed for the Chidori do you?"

Sasuke glared at his sensei before bending to remove his leg weights. The man always exploited that irritating ability of making his point so obviously sensible that even you had to agree with it.

"You'll need to be at your best to survive Gaara, much less defeat him," he continued. "But after his little visit here the other day, I'm beginning to wonder your true reasons for wanting to beat him."

"Oh, and why's that? You know why I'm doing this, Kakashi."

"To test whether you're as strong as you can be," recited the jounin. "Yes, you've mentioned that several times. But the way you were staring at him, when you saw the bloodlust in his eyes, you seemed even more motivated. He became more of a threat than you had thought."

"You know I won't let him kill me."

"I wasn't talking about him being more of a threat to _your _life."

Sasuke only tsked. His sensei, although unarguably powerful, never tired of his cryptic messages. Just what was he trying to pull? Gaara was _the_ opponent to test his skills against. He was the litmus test for his progression toward avenging his clan. That was his sole motivator for power, for putting up with Kakashi that month, for taking down Gaara. Why else would he care whether the Sand ninja was crushed?

"I can't believe you two!"

Atop one of the adjacent rock faces towered a shadowy figure against the sun. With one leap and the patter of feet, a pink-haired girl stood before them.

Correction: an _irate_ pink-haired girl.

"Do you have any idea how worried I've been? The thoughts running through my head while I was racing through this valley, wondering whether I'd be finding your dead bodies or something? I thought, ugh, I thought Gaara-kun had gotten to you!"

"Well he was in fact here a couple days ago," said Kakashi, drawing her glare away from the girl. "Not to worry, not to worry. The only things exchanged between them were words, Sakura."

"But Gaara-kun was _here_? Did he try to attack?"

"I imagine his only goal was to size Sasuke up. I think they both established that in their match neither will stop attacking until the other is dead, or at the very least hospitalized."

"How can you be so casual about it?" snapped Sakura. "This is serious. Sasuke, listen to me. If this is true then please, _please_, don't go through with the match."

"I'm fighting the Sand ninja and that's it. How many times do I have to go over that? Quit butting in. It's not your business."

"I think we've established that that won't work on me. It is very much my business. How many times do _I_ have to go over that?"

"So you'd have me not fight him and then, what, have Naruto do it? Or convince him to back down too and fight him yourself."

She kept her expression hard against his, but he was able to imply enough from the defiant look in her eyes.

"I told you before, Sakura – stay _away_ from that Sand ninja. He's a monster and I won't have you fighting him. You'll get yourself killed."

"How's that argument different for me than you?"

"Okay you two, settle down," urged Kakashi. "Now isn't the place for your arguing. And speaking of which, why _are_ you here, Sakura?"

It took a few moments for her sensei's words to reach her before she abandoned her glaring match with Sasuke. "What? Oh wait, that's right. Sasuke missed the exam check-in. Don't you guys have any sense of time?"

Kakashi stroked the back of his head. "Exactly how bad is it?"

Sakura sighed. "Like I said, you missed the check-in. As for the matches...come to think of it, it took me a little longer than I thought to track you guys down. And if my estimates are right it means that...uh oh."

"Uh oh?" chorused the male ninja.

She gave her brow a light scratch. "Let's just say if we don't make a break for it right now, we're _both_ going to miss our matches."

* * *

The stadium hummed and echoed with the chatter of its occupants, most of whom were expressing far more contempt than excitement at that point. The chuunin exam finals brought far more disappointment than they had expected.

They had been adequately entertained by the upset of the first match, with the gennin they had all counted as dead last proving victorious over the prodigy of the Hyuga clan. Apart from that, yes, nothing but disappointments.

A finalist of the most anticipated match of the tournament, Uchiha Sasuke, had not yet arrived. The proctor had so wisely postponed his fight to afford him an extension, but who knew if he would even show? Immediately following that, one of the Hidden Sand ninja had the gall to forfeit his own match, skipping them to match four. This left the fight between the other Sand gennin and some shirker-of-a-ninja who, by the way, had just given up. And it was just starting to get good too.

And now, to add insult to injury, yet another finalist was MIA. Both ninja in the last match were more or less unknown shinobi from more or less unknown clans. It wasn't an incredible shame to have their matches cancelled, except that...they needed this to give Uchiha Sasuke more time to get here!

The boom of an explosion effectively silenced the boisterous audience to murmurs, a cloud of white blanketing the center of the battle arena. What was going on? Who had arrived? Was it finally...?

Within seconds, the mist uplifted to reveal three bodies standing in the center. The tallest was easily recognized as Hatake Kakashi. Who didn't know the reputable Copy Ninja? But who were those two youngsters beside him? A pink-haired girl, and someone else. It was a boy, unmistakably sporting the Uchiha monogram on his back.

The stands erupted in a blast of roars, cheers and battle cries, many spectators clambering to their feet to pacify the surge of excitement gushing through them.

Sakura only winced at the wave of sound, her eyes apprehensively scanning the arena. There were _so_ many people. Too many people. And they were so _loud_. The acoustics in this place were something else. She was supposed to fight in this madhouse?

"Why am I not surprised you got here late, Kakashi. You should do a better job of keeping your bad habits from corrupting your students." It was the ninja from earlier. The man with the senbon needle.

"We weren't that late, were we Genma?" asked the jounin sheepishly. "I mean, it's not like Sasuke and Sakura are, you know, disqualified or anything?"

The brown-haired man smirked, shaking his head. "No, they're not disqualified. Came pretty close though."

"Phew, that's a relief. Sasuke's up next then."

"Actually he still needs to check in officially," corrected Genma. "And since Sakura has been signed in since this morning, she's good to go in the meantime. We've been doing this out of order from the start anyway."

The pinkette appeased her drying throat with a hard swallow. "I-I'm up n-next?" It was difficult not to sound like a panic-stricken squirrel.

"You'll do great, Sakura," encouraged the silver-haired jounin, giving her quivering shoulder a firm pat. "I'm anxious to see what Anko has managed to teach you."

"A-About that, sensei..."

"Match number five is about to begin. Both finalists please enter the arena so we may start."

Groans and jeers gurgled through the space at Genma's announcement, which only served to worsen Sakura's panic. Of course they were disappointed in having to suffer through her battle before the pièce de résistance. She was hardly an appetizer to satiate their boiling excitement for Sasuke's match.

"Good luck out there," said her teammate, only moderately successful in drawing her attention away from her numbing limbs. "And be careful."

She nodded weakly, hoping at least some color was left in her face to pass for normal.

The girl was in such a haze. The stadium was deafeningly loud and deafeningly silent at the same time. The stands appeared larger, higher, boxing her in like a caged animal in this inhumane spectator sport. Her dulled mind barely registered Sasuke and Kakashi's leave, Dosu's arrival, and the ever-important command – "Let the fifth match begin."

The glint of metal pierced the corner of her vision in time for her reflexes to catapult into action, her body leaping several feet away with a burst of chakra before she was even consciously aware that the Sound ninja had attacked. The expanse of crumbled and disturbed earth surrounding the man's embedded fist immediately sparked her attention. Punching the ground to fragment the surrounding area – Dosu had certainly picked up a few tricks since their last encounter.

"That's new," she voiced, keeping her distance. "I'm guessing it employs sound waves as well, since you seem to be using that same device strapped to your arm."

He raised the familiar metal plate. "So nice of you to notice my upgrade. Solids are composed of particles far more densely packed than air, making vibrations through them more energy-consuming but far more destructive. I had hoped to end this quickly by catching you off guard with it. You seem to be a little distracted." The Sound-nin pointed toward the crowd, and Sakura's heart dipped into her stomach.

_Right, they're still here._

Dosu exploited her lapse of focus and charged, but her body's reaction was quicker. She just barely missed the shock waves of his blow to the ground, escaping him with another huge bound.

_Snap out of it, Sakura. Stick to the plan – cover lots of ground to search for the largest underground water reservoir in the arena. The crowd isn't important._

He launched himself at her again, and she administered the same speed tactic to evade him. Her eyes were to him, but her senses all concentrated somewhere much deeper. She still hadn't found her figurative oasis yet.

"Are we going to play this game of cat and mouse all day?" sneered Dosu. "Pressure getting to you that much?"

He was forcing her nervous energy to the crowd on purpose. His experience was making it easier to read her movement as the fight dragged on, she knew it. She may have been able to scathingly evade him in that state before, but entertaining any kind of distraction again would cost her the match – and probably her life if those destructive sound waves ever hit her.

Of course..._he_ didn't have to know that she knew that. If there was one thing Sakura had learned from her time with Naruto was the value of playing dumb in a fight. (Whether or not the blonde was actually 'playing' dumb was another debate entirely.)

She stole – what she hoped looked like – an anxious glance at the stands, darting across the field the moment her eyes left him, avoiding another blow. The kunoichi stumbled lightly as she skated to a halt.

"A pathetic excuse for a ninja," jabbed her opponent. "Can't even keep your cool in front of this crowd of insignificants."

She had almost missed the latest discourtesy he had paid her, her senses hitched on the presence she had just skittered over, almost ten feet away. Her underground oasis had been discovered at last.

Now for phase two.

"I-I'm through having you mess with me like this," she announced, procuring the bottle of water she had strapped to her side that morning. She uncapped it and allowed her face to be engulfed with one throw of the canister, quickly wiping away the water from her eyes and tossing the capped bottle to the side.

He watched her jadedly as she snapped herself into focus. She was suddenly glad she had thought to toss the bottle. It was originally to keep her sides less bulky, but perhaps it was also best to have her opponent think the entire maneuver was meant to get the bottle on the ground, when her intention was to wet her face.

More specifically – she wanted beads of water in her ears. Water she was now manipulating with chakra. She would not be defenseless as Lee was in the Forest of Death. Her body's vital balance system would be protected.

Her hands fell to her legs, working to unfasten something hidden beneath her shin guards. "Before the first part of the exams, I had taken to going on runs with five-pound leg weights attached to me. But I've moved passed that..." She tossed the metallic bars she acquired to the ground, bending her heel skyward to test her strength. "I've been wearing seven-pound weights every waking moment for an entire month now. Can't wait to see what that did for my speed."

He launched himself without hesitation, fist swinging with even greater intensity. She scurried to the side long before his fist hit. She darted about the field, waiting for the shock waves of his blow to subside before torpedoing into him at top speed. Her high-velocity kick connected, both parties rebounding from the strike.

Dosu whirled into a charge sooner than she expected. He must have managed to block her kick with his free hand. She used a set of back handsprings to escape onto the side of the arena wall, but the Sound ninja only continued his attack. The kunoichi instinctively leapt off the structure, strategically landing in a very specific place. Her little oasis of salvation.

Fragments of wall pieced apart as Dosu removed his fist from the concrete. His eye flitted to the pink-haired girl heavily panting on her knees against the dirt.

"You're finally feeling the effects," he remarked. "When you chose to strike me earlier, my Destructive Sound Waves had dissipated. What you didn't know was that my Ear-splitting Sound Waves were active. Is the world beginning to spin a bit too much now?"

The pinkette only watched him through half-lidded eyes. Why wasn't he attacking? Not that she was complaining. Every second he stood still meant more time to coagulate the water squirming in the earth beneath her opened palms. It was still an odd thing to do-

"Too disappointed you were caught in my trap? Or have my sound waves made you so dizzy you no longer have the coordination to even speak?"

Was he talking to her or something? Probably making fun of the extreme fatigue she was faking. Why did he have to have bandages over his mouth? Then at least she could tell when he was speaking. Being deaf was no fun at all, even though it was temporary – not to mention self-inflicted.

"I'll end your torment now," sniggered Dosu. "It'll be a blast of vibrations so violent, I imagine even the audience will be able to enjoy some mild effects."

Within seconds the Sound-nin was upon her, his fist sweeping into her frame. She rose before impact, slamming a kunai into the device. The resulting collision ripped a shower of vibrations through the air, earning achy moans of protest from the spectators.

Dosu's eye was fixed on the leaf ninja, expressionless as her body tensed against his arm. Her kunai slipped through her fingers, leaving her arm edged against his. It was only a matter of time before the rest of her slumped to the ground. Not that he would end his attacks when she was unconscious.

Her free hand slithered to her blocked one, hands joining as she quickly weaved her hand signs. Before he realized what she had done, his hands were bound. Something fleshy had wound around each of them. Dosu craned his neck behind him, greeted by two pink-haired figures braced against his limbs. He had been caught.

"When did you learn to make Shadow clones?"

The clone on his right rested her hand onto the sound device. It transfigured into water, seeping from the copy's body and into the weapon. With a wave of chakra from Sakura, several things happened at once.

The first was that the water in the device experienced an upsurge of pressure, the resultant force creating an explosive blast which shattered the weapon to pieces – along with the bones of his right arm. The ninja wailed in agony, suddenly experiencing a sharp pain in his other shoulder before managing to shirk his captors and retreat a few paces away.

His gaze drifted to the two kunai embedded in his left shoulder, no doubt the product of the second clone. Disgusting hot liquid gushed beneath his poncho. He eyed the girl before him with disdain. "How did you...those were _water_ clones? But there are no sources of water here."

The pinkette wiggled a finger in her ear, looking relieved as she worked the next ear. "Hm? Were you saying something? I'm sorry, please give me a minute."

"That's how you survived my Ear-splitting Sound Waves," murmured Dosu. "You deafened yourself to them. This entire time?"

"Only when I approached you for direct combat," she corrected, shaking the last bits if water out of her ears. "When I splashed my face earlier, it was to coagulate water into my ears without your notice. I then used my chakra to sort of fashion it into ear plugs. It took a lot of focus to compress the water enough to block everything out. Even in that last attack I heard some screeching, but nothing damaging."

"And those clones?" pressed the man.

"I'd been searching this entire arena for an underground source," she explained. "I eventually came across an area with clusters of water pockets and merged them together with my chakra. That's why I had my hands on the dirt."

His eye narrowed. "I see. And all this time you had lead me to believe you were fatiguing and flailing about without a plan. All the while I was falling deeper into your trap. You probably weren't even anxious at all through all my taunting."

She was calm the _entire_ time? Yup, sure. Why not? Forget the internal pep talking and uncontrollable rushes of adrenaline that was probably still coursing through her body. She hadn't been nervous at all.

"And now what do you plan to do?" he tested. "I no longer have use of my arms, but I can still fight."

"About that..." Sakura motioned to the man's legs, specifically the rectangular sheets of paper fixed to each one. "I planted those explosive tags on you while you were caught by my clones. They're triggered to detonate once I make the right seal. You've lost. If you don't forfeit now, your legs will be blown apart and you'll lose more than just the match."

The mummy-like ninja only continued glaring at her, the pinkette reciprocating. What was going on inside his head?

"Your battle is lost, Sound ninja," concurred Genma. "I'm obligated to end a match if I deem it hopeless. I have to disqualify you."

"That rule was instigated to preserve life where it could be preserved," said Dosu, eye still on Sakura. "I can still fight."

"Even if you could go on with your legs blown off, do you really think you wouldn't die from bloodless?"

Mumbled sniggering escaped through his bandaged mouth. "No. The reason I'm sure I won't die is because she's not going to trigger the tags."

Sakura's skeptical stare transformed into one of realization as she studied him. "You're willing to make such a risky gamble?"

"There is no gamble," he insisted, tone laced with amusement. "You used the knowledge you amassed about my technique during these exams to formulate a foolproof strategy. I am merely doing the same. I've been watching you very closely, Haruno Sakura. You are a formidable ninja, to be sure. But you're also a pacifist, too soft hearted to be ruthless, too weak willed to kill in order to win. The only time you ever showed any sort of backbone was against Zaku during the preliminaries, and even then you were laden with guilt after the fact."

"What are you saying?" she asked, feigning as much strength as she could in her voice.

"I'm calling your bluff. You wouldn't leave a man permanently crippled just to become a chuunin. You just don't have the stomach for it, otherwise you would have detonated the explosives the moment I refused. Even as I stand here casting stones at your feeble battle spirit, you do nothing more than gawk at me."

Sakura fisted her hands at her sides. Was he right? Her spirit, her weakness – was it all true? Was she really that pathetic of a ninja?

"Blow him apart!"

Sakura's emerald eyes circled toward the stands. She could have sworn she heard a man say-

"Rip 'em to shreds!" yelled another.

"Yeah, scum like that doesn't deserve to live! Take him out!"

The following cries mingled amongst themselves and were lost to her. The sentiment was clear though. These people approved of her trap. They wanted her to cripple him. Whether it was for some sense of justice for his insults or the thrill of blood? She guessed it was a mixture of both.

"Well then?"

Dosu was daring her to action. The crowd was screaming for blood. What was she supposed to do? She just wanted it all over. Why did he put her on the spot for the world to see? Her hands moved on their own, flitting to make two hand signs, her fingers resting on the third.

A burst of her chakra. That was all that was left to activate the bombs. She inhaled deeply, shoulders tensed, her body bracing for the shockwaves that would surely follow...but the energy wouldn't flow. Her chakra couldn't go into it, because her heart really wasn't into it. He had been right – she didn't have it in her to cripple a man for some arbitrary title.

"I, I know what it means to be a ninja," she began, her quiet voice only growing in strength. "Ninja fight for peace, to protect the innocent from wicked people like you. How can I do that if I become just like the scum I'm fighting against?"

"You think you're being strong," scorned Dosu. "But using such soft, idealized sentiments to excuse your inability to do what's needed to be done is not strength. It is the definition of weakness, a luxury I promise you will regret."

The Sound-nin stampeded toward the girl, madly spinning into a barrage of kicks. She darted between the blows, eventually managing to land a sharp heel into his jaw. His body rolled onto the floor before he flipped back onto his feet.

The bandages lining more than half his face had ripped apart, revealing the grayed, heavily creased skin beneath. It was a rather grotesque sight.

"Orochimaru-sama is the reason my entire body isn't like this," said Dosu, his crooked teeth bared in a grin. "He fooled me into believing that my life had meant something to him, and I dedicated everything to his cause. He broke that purpose, and that is something I will never forgive."

This talk of purpose, of reasons to exist...it sounded so much like Gaara the night before that it ran chills through her heated body. It all involved losing people who affirmed their right to be here. Had she been like that when her parents died too? Was she still like that?

Dosu was already working his mouth into his stab wounds, retrieving a kunai between his teeth. Sakura allowed her two water clones to engage in a frontal assault, but he easily swept through them, an explosion of water in his wake.

Sakura retreated closer and closer to the arena periphery, taking cover in the trees. His attacks were relentless. She caught his kunai with hers every chance she got, constantly looking for an opening to stab his legs. He needed to be immobilized. And she couldn't bear to go for a potentially lethal strike to his defenseless chest, a mercy Dosu only seemed to be exploiting.

Their exchange of blocked blows was too even. She needed to try something else. Another water clone would have been ideal, but chances were slim that the Sound-nin would fall for another distraction while she coagulated water.

The pinkette barely missed a heel as Dosu's foot snapped an upturned tree root cleanly.

Tree roots – nature's own water collectors. They served the same function as Sakura's resonating chakra, only roots did this constantly. They were always capturing water, night and day, even in the midst of a sudden-death battle between two shinobi. A new tactic soon followed her progression of thought.

What if she could use the water already accumulated by the roots and siphon it off for a jutsu. She was doubtful if it would be enough for a whole water clone, but maybe she didn't need one. All she wanted was to immobilize her opponent. Maybe she could do it more...creatively.

The girl escaped into the branches and pressed palms to bark as she used the entire tree as a conduit for gathering the water. She could sense it, and created a barely sizable pool near the tree base before leaping off to flee Dosu.

"You're playing cat and mouse again," he sang. "I recognize what you're doing. I'm not letting you out of my sights."

They continued their tussle, and after much maneuvering, Sakura was able to knock Dosu onto the ground directly above her meager water reservoir. He rose to his feet with a kick, but soon realized that standing was all he could accomplish. Sakura held her seal of concentration as he heaved against the ground he had been stuck to.

"You can't get out," grunted Sakura with effort. "There's a layer of water under your feet, and I'm resonating my chakra to hold you onto it. Kind of like walking on water, but in reverse."

The man struggled against her hold regardless until he lost his balance, feet planted on the soil as he plopped onto his rear. With another seal from the Leaf ninja and the upper body of a water clone emerged from the earth behind him, kunai delicately pressed against his throat while she disarmed his mouth.

"I've got you caught, so just give up."

The man's lips curled in a foul grin. "How did you manage to get it set up this time? I didn't give you the opportunity."

"The trees. I used them as a channel."

"Ingenious move on your end. I would have never thought water could be controlled in that way. How did you learn how to do all this?"

"We've talked enough. Surrender."

"Your breathing is growing ragged," observed Dosu. "I imagine keeping me pinned like this must be mentally fatiguing. If you would prefer, I can wait silently until you exhaust yourself."

"You don't have that option. Or are you forgetting the kunai I've got that's a hairline away from ripping into your neck."

"We both know you won't be using that. You wouldn't maim me to win a match, and you certainly won't kill me. You're far too weak for such a deed."

"I'm not weak," she asserted.

"Ho but you are," scoffed the Sound-nin. "And I'll prove to you why the ninja world has no room for such mercies. Do you know what I plan to do in this competition? My sole reason for fighting so hard here?"

Her breath hitched in her throat. She sensed something icy in his words.

"You're aware that Orochimaru-sama gave my team the order to kill Uchiha Sasuke during the survival test. I was perplexed as to why he wanted him dead, someone on whom he had bestowed such power. I realized later that we were being used to test your teammate's abilities. He never wanted Sasuke killed. My team and I were dispensable pawns in his little game. And do you know what my retaliation is? The way I plan to hurt him for what he did to us?"

Sakura staggered backwards. The killing intent in his eyes was enough to confirm her conclusion. "Y-You're going after Sasuke?"

"I'm going to _kill_ Sasuke. Obliterate him. He is the prize Orochimaru-sama wants, and I'm going to take him away from that slippery snake."

Shock, fear, anger, desperation – they all flashed across her widened eyes. The Sound-nin only chortled at her reaction. Had she been wrong to spare him all along? She had the chance to eliminate him as a threat but bowed out. There really was a price to pay for that.

Her grasp was already slackening, she could feel it. She had seconds to make a decision. She had to kill this man, at all costs.

"Now can you fully appreciate your weakness? You can't even use your paper bombs to finish me off anymore. Those water clones I destroyed earlier landed water on the tags. They can no longer detonate. And as for this trap you've got me in..."

He twisted out of his bind in one spin, tearing the clone's kunai from her hand with his teeth in the process. The mass of water disintegrated as the ninja sped toward the panting girl.

Sakura acted on reflex, releasing the form of the water-generated kunai of her clone's, feeding the water into Dosu's throat in the same breath. He keeled over as he coughed out the liquid, but it was a pellet hard-pressed in his esophagus. It was just like what she had done inside her own ears to protect them against his sound waves. This time, air was the thing she was shielding his lungs against.

The coughing grew desperate and sparse until they finally halted altogether, his body slumping to the ground.

"Kinuta Dosu is unable to continue. The winner is Haruno Sakura."

Her hold on the water pellet remained. If he was forced unconscious from lack of oxygen, it was only a matter of seconds before brain damage and death would follow. He had threatened Sasuke, and he would kill him. Losing this match wouldn't stop him.

And winning this match wouldn't stop her.

"That's enough, Sakura," declared Genmai, hand firmly clamped on hers.

"He's going to kill Sasuke," she spat back, her eyes fixed on her target.

"He'd never get that far," came a familiar voice beside her, stoic as always. "Someone like him could never beat me. So stop, Sakura."

She wasn't completely aware of why the water pellet disintegrated on her teammate's insistence. Perhaps she really didn't have it in her to kill like that. But what if the time came when it was necessary? What if she needed to in the future, and couldn't?

"Come on now," said Genma, releasing her arm. "Quit being so bogged down by this and attend to your adoring fans."

Her eyes whirled toward the stands, sound finally returning to her world. There were cheers and screams and applause and whistles blaring in a mountain range of din. Perhaps she had abandoned her water ear plugs too soon. The wisps of her name which caught her ear allowed her to finally appreciate what was happening.

They were cheering for _her_. The reason for the boisterous chaos was her accomplished win. She still hated the idea of using fights as entertainment. But even her noble heart couldn't suppress the smile stretching across her face as she gaped at the crowd. Heat was rapidly rising to her face.

"Congratulations," said Sasuke, hiding her dilemma with Dosu from his eyes as he held out his hand acknowledgingly. She had almost killed someone, for _him_. Sakura – calm, rational, worrying Sakura – soiling her hands with blood in _his_ name? In what world was that ever meant to happen? She needed to stop doing this kind of thing – wrecking herself, risking her life, ruining her morals – for another person. Especially when that other person was...

She accepted his hand gingerly. Perhaps he hadn't been able to hide his concern as much as he had thought.

"That was absolutely amazing, Sakura-chan! You were awesome!"

Before she managed to face her racing teammate, his body abruptly slammed into her chest. Her balance was offset, and they plummeted to the dirt, but not without taking a certain Uchiha with them. In retrospect, she probably should have let go of his hand while Naruto tripped into her.

"_Why_ does this always happen?" gritted Sasuke as he rolled off of their mini dog pile. "It's always your fault we end up embarrassing ourselves, dobe. Stop making us look bad." He shoved the blonde unceremoniously off of Sakura with a kick. She didn't get up right away though. This was the first time she was on the bottom end of their tumbles, and it wasn't pleasant.

Both teammates extended an arm to each hand as they lifted her to her feet. She actively ignored the glaring match she was now standing between, affording the audience an assuring wave that she was all right. This earned her another rowdy roar of applause.

"My, you've managed to win over their hearts, Sakura."

The pinkette rolled her eyes as she faced her sensei. "They're just riled up from all the fighting going on."

"On the contrary, I've attended a few of these tournaments myself. Only the crowd-favorites get a following like that, and for good reason."

"Yeah, Sakura-chan," chimed Naruto. "You were super cool. I didn't know you could use water jutsu like that! And your planning was so dead-on, you won with barely a scrape on you. No matter which way he tried to get you, you were way better. And how you stood up to him calling you weak and you didn't end up blowing him up even though he totally deserved-"

"You're rambling," she remarked, smiling despite herself. "And thanks, Naruto. Really."

"Now if your little powwow is over, Kakashi," interrupted the proctor, "we still have a tournament to get on with."

"Excuse us, Genma," offered the jounin-sensei guiltily.

"Make sure you wipe the floor with that Sand ninja, you hear me Sasuke? Because that's the only way you get to face _me _in these finals."

"Got it," answered the Uchiha with a firm nod.

The boys exchanged tensed looks, every drop of their bitter rivalry communicated with one glance. Sakura only eyed Sasuke worriedly.

This was it. It was really happening. Sasuke was going to battle Gaara to the death. Either way this went, she was going to lose a friend today, unless some stroke of luck fated it differently. But whatever the outcome, one thing was certain – what happened next would erupt palpable chaos into her world.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -


	18. To Change a Heart

******Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**********RE-WRITE: 3/16/12**

* * *

_**To Change A Heart**_

The last hour certainly hadn't gone as Sakura had expected. There was indeed chaos. Showers of chaos raining down on every square inch of her life, including Konoha.

The Hidden Sand and Sound villages had betrayed the Leaf, and while tournament spectators remained asleep under the enemy's genjutsu, war had broken out. Konoha shinobi were valiantly fighting off the intruders, and what Sakura and Naruto were doing that moment was no different.

As the pinkette flitted through the forest, she glanced at Naruto and their (regrettably) canine companion beside her, replaying the mission Kakashi had assigned them.

_"I'm glad you were able to repel the genjutsu, Sakura. Those extra lessons with Kurenai really did pay off."_

_"Sensei, what do we do? I saw Sasuke pursue the three Sand genin. We have to help him, b-but the village is in danger too."_

_"Your priority is Sasuke," assured Kakashi. "We jounin will handle these invaders. I'm assigning you all a new A-ranked mission – the first since the Land of Waves. Naruto will be thrilled. Awaken him, track Sasuke down and bring him back to the Hidden Leaf. We can't let him stray too far. Not when this entire thing was orchestrated by **him."**_

_Sakura gaped at her sensei as he dispatched with another Sound ninja. "O-Orochimaru's here?"_

_"He's battling Hokage-sama now, so he'll have his hands full. Still, it would be foolish of us to leave an asset he'd like to acquire out in the open in this mess. Bring him back, Sakura. I'll give you Pakkun to help."_

Although she didn't like the idea of working with the talking pooch, he was invaluable in tracking Sasuke's movements, as well as alerting them to...less desirable targets.

"We've got a bit of a problem here you two," piped Pakkun. "I smell eight ninja pursuing us, and they're movin' in fast."

"Darn it," seethed Naruto. "Fightin' them off would just waste more time. Then we'll never get to Sasuke."

"Losing them would be ideal," posited Sakura, fighting to keep her thoughts on the task at hand. She couldn't help but wonder – had this team been specially assembled to eliminate them and retrieve the snake-sannin's 'asset'?

"I got it," asserted Naruto after a pause. "I can use my shadow clones. I'll transform them into teams of us and distract them. I did something like that with closet pervert Ebisu once."

"Closet perv-… so you want to use your clones as decoys."

"It should work," agreed Pakkun. "They don't have any dogs with them so they won't be able to distinguish us by scent."

"I can make up five teams of us," he said proudly. "That oughta be enough to confuse 'em."

"Maybe, but we're still going to have interference. I'd rather avoid them all if we can."

"So then...I make more clones, Sakura-chan?"

"Fifteen should be enough," she answered, her mind racing somewhere else. "That's it, five fake trails. But we'll force them to follow one."

"And, uh, how do we do that?"

"There'll be five paths by clones plus ours, totaling six. Five of those will be very conspicuous and the last will be concealed. We'll travel down a conspicuous path."

"We'll make it obvious for them to find us? How will that help?"

"Because these ninja must be skilled trackers."

"And how's that supposed to-... oooooh I get it. Since these guys are trackers, they would spot all the trails, even the one we try to hide."

Sakura nodded. Naruto was getting better at his tactics. "They'll think our plan was to distract them with obvious paths, and they'll opt to follow a less-easily trackable trail. I'm hoping they won't even bother splitting up. That way we can escape down one of the conspicuous paths without them even realizing it."

"I like it," chimed the blonde. "Your ideas are always so awesome, Sakura-chan."

"I-I'm not that great," she stammered. "And this won't keep them infinitely distracted. We'll only have a small window to find Sasuke and get out."

"And what about Gaara?"

The pinkette turned away from her inquiring friend. What would she do about Gaara?

"I...I don't think you should stop trying, Sakura-chan. Reaching out to him, I mean."

Her head snapped in his direction. The weight of his gaze only added to how sincere his statement was. And he knew exactly what the repercussions were.

"I'm not saying I want you risking your life," he clarified in earnest. "I'll kill him myself before he ever hurts you. But after hearing him last night...he's worth saving. I can't explain it very well but I just...I know what he's been through. The loneliness, the pain. I know how lost it can make you. I...I coulda been _him,_ Sakura-chan. I would have been, if it weren't for..."

"Just stop it." She offered him a smile as she held onto his hand. "You could never be like that, and you never will. I've never met anyone stronger or more resilient to things than you. You're special, Naruto."

"Y-You r-really think all that?" Heat was soaring under his widened eyes.

She nodded through her smile. "So quit moping around like this. It doesn't suit you at all."

"You're absolutely right," he asserted, hand regretting its leave from hers as he made his hand signs. "Time for a special order of Shadow clones."

Sakura eyed him warmly as he enacted their decoy strategy. _Naruto, if you only knew...you're the reason I can believe I have a chance of helping Gaara-kun. Hokage-sama told me how hard it is, changing people's hearts. But you changed mine. You reminded me how good friendship is. I have to do the same for Gaara-kun. If I just try hard enough..._

* * *

The Sand ninja were elusive in their own right. He had to give them credit for evading him for so long while carrying a wounded Gaara. That puncture he managed with his Chidori during the match was pretty nasty. But run as they might, it was only a matter of time before he finally caught up with them.

He should have expected it wouldn't be that simple.

The ninja in black opted to fall behind and face him while the blonde escaped with Gaara. A cheap trick on their end, but this puppeteer was only delaying the inevitable. He would dispose of him, and then deal with the redhead and anyone else who would stand in his way. There was something important he had to test, and he'd be damned if these clowns got in the way of his grudge match.

"Why don't you call off your little toy and face me yourself," prodded Sasuke. "I don't have time for these games."

"Aw you don't like the Crow? You're gonna hurt his feelings." The puppet swung its arm-blade, barely missing Sasuke in his retreat. It seemed every time the Uchiha motioned closer to the Sand ninja, his inanimate companion charged in to thwart his efforts. And all the while, Gaara was getting further and further away.

"It's about time we found you!"

The dark-haired boy whirled in place, finding his teammates and a small brown dog landing on the branch beside him.

"You two are here? And who's the mutt?" Sasuke acknowledged the animal with a raised eyebrow.

"He's the reason we found you," explained Sakura. "Now we have to get out of her, Sasuke. We have strict orders from Kakashi-sensei to return to the village. There are Sound ninja after you. They're working with Orochimaru, you know what that means."

The boy studied his worried friend's features before turning away. He knew the ear-full he was in for. "I'm not going."

"You're not going? Why won't you...no. No, please don't tell me this is about settling a score with Gaara-kun. No way, you're not risking your freedom for that. I won't let you."

"Well you don't really have a choice in this," he rebutted. "You can't drag me back."

"I will if I have to-"

The trio scattered in place, avoiding a sweeping strike from the Crow.

"Errr, guys," called Naruto. "I don't know what's going on between you two, but maybe you should quit fighting each other here and fight the enemy!"

"It seems like you got all this covered, Naruto," answered Sasuke with a grin. "I'm catching up with Gaara."

"Oh no you don't." Sakura pursued him within a second of his leap, calling to the blonde behind them. "Stay sharp, Naruto. Have Pakkun guide you back to us when you get through. And don't be stupid!"

"No worries, Sakura-chan. I got this, believe it!"

His booming voice was able to reach her as she kept at Sasuke's heels. "You just going to leave him on his own like that?"

"Don't try to guilt me out of this," she snapped. "You knew I wasn't about to leave you out here to get picked up by Orochimaru's men. It's your fault he's fighting by himself right now, not mine."

The Uchiha only gave an acknowledging grunt as their bodies wisped through the forest.

* * *

"End of the line."

Sasuke and Sakura alighted before Temari's path, her little brother draped on her side.

"Get out of our way," commanded the blonde. "You can't-"

"Let go of me, Temari," rasped the boy, meeting her concerned gaze with one of annoyance. "I said let go." With a sweep of his arm, the girl crashed against a tree trunk. Sakura only watched in alarm. Weren't they supposed to be siblings?

"I don't need you anymore," he continued, glaring at his target. "I want Uchiha. We both fight with a purpose. I must see whose is the strongest."

"Gaara-kun, you-"

A funnel of wind between her and Sasuke was enough to force their separation, Temari unleashing her air currents upon Sakura until she escaped far enough away from the two boys.

"I won't have you interrupting them," stated Temari standing before her. "I'm your opponent. You were technically supposed to fight me next in the tournament. Only makes sense."

"You just want to keep me away from helping Sasuke," corrected Sakura. "I don't want them fighting any more than you do. Why are you doing this?"

"He's my brother," she answered simply.

"And betraying an allied village? How do you justify that?"

"I'm a shinobi just like you, okay. I follow orders as they are given, end of story," she answered, although it certainty wasn't convincing.

"But, it's not right."

"It's not my place to question Kazekage-sama. I was told to protect Gaara and crush the Hidden Leaf, and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

A lift of her fan gave away Temari's next move, and Sakura darted behind a tree while a blast of air flooded the area. Even as she skittered for cover against another assault, the pinkette knew the quickest way to end this – extract Temari's fan.

She would need to use long-ranged attacks against a long-ranged fighter. But the Sand ninja had seen her match. She knew she could use trees as a conduit for her water-gathering, and that she could employ it for making clones. There was also the problem that whatever water she coagulated, it would be stuck in the soil at the base of the tree. Problematic for someone using water jutsu in the canopy, but she had to try something.

"Think I don't know what you're doing back there? I won't let you get off hiding all day. Wind Scythe jutsu!"

A series of slicing air currents carved through the terrain, the blast grazing Sakura as she dove to evade the blow. She scrambled to her feet amidst her crashes through the branches, ignoring the cuts she was sporting as she formed her hand signs. She barely managed to accumulate enough water before she was tossed and she wasn't about to waste time using it.

"Finally decided to attack me huh?" mocked Temari, noticing the two clones racing up the canopy far sooner than Sakura had hoped. With a wave of her fan, they disintegrated. Temari's gaze rose in time to catch the pinkette in mid-leap toward her, reacting with another blast of air.

Sakura ricocheted through the trees before her battered form skid to a halt atop a branch. This battle was reminding her too much of Zaku's. She heaved her protesting body to a stance, ducking behind a trunk in time to avoid her Wind Scythe jutsu. She was lucky the tower of lumber withstood the brunt of the attack. The cleanly sliced tree wasn't as fortunate, the tree's top crashing onto its neighbors.

Sakura could only marvel at the chopped stump of wood that was once the other half of the tree that shielded her. If Temari's chakra wasn't low from her match with Shikamaru, the pinkette undoubtedly would have shared the same fate as the fallen tree after an attack like that.

The tree's annual rings whirled hypnotically along the entire radius of the log. The only time Sakura had ever seen rings so clearly defined was in a botanical text from the library. She easily recalled the chapter topic – transport systems in plants. Vascular cambium was the source of secondary xylem and phloem, and its growth caused the annual rings in trees to form. Phloem transport nutrients while xylem vessels carry water all along the plant...

_Enough about this_, snapped Sakura, diving to evade another one of Temari's torrents. She could technically keep dodging her attacks until she ran out of chakra, but that would take far too long. And her water source was trapped in the soil. As she had proven before, it was unlikely the Sand ninja could be surprised by water clones that needed to dart up the canopy before they could even attack her.

If only there existed a way to bring her water source to their battle area and create clones from a more advantageous position. But how was she supposed to do that? Slide the water along the length of the tree? That would be far too obvious. One wave of wind and the fluid would scatter apart. Her eyes flickered over the tree stump as she darted for cover from yet another attack.

Was a method of bringing the water source closer staring her in the face this entire time?

The Leaf ninja retreated further, Temari in pursuit as she leapt over the stump and fired another blast of wind. Sakura's hands pressed against the tree she was hiding behind, focusing intently. Forest vegetation was highly connected, since they were in close proximity. She would use her tree as a conduit and coagulate water at the base, and she could surely funnel this fluid up another tree nearby. There was only one she had her sights on in particular, one she needed.

"I know you're up to something," said Temari. "All this running around and avoiding me. I'm willing to bet you've got something cooked up. Or are you just that much of a coward? You don't seem to have a problem with running away from responsibilities."

"That's a serious accusation," answered Sakura, keeping herself hidden and the strain out of her voice.

"The planning part? Or that you're a coward?"

"Both...though I find the last one more offensive. I don't consider myself a coward."

"Then maybe it's time for you to reevaluate. Get out here and quit running away."

The pinkette wheeled around the trunk to face Temari. Her water source was in place. All that was left was summoning the clones. "Going to blast me with more wind?"

"Obviously that hasn't been working. There's too much cover here. And with both our jutsu pretty much useless, I guess all that's left is to finish this hand-to-hand."

"Odd," remarked Sakura. "Long-ranged fighters don't typically like close-ranged combat."

"Yeah well like I said, both our jutsu haven't been working. I'm not wasting any more chakra on wind techniques, so there's only one thing left."

"Maybe not just one thing," added Sakura, hands flitting into the Water Clone jutsu's tiger seal.

In the next second, Temari found her body subdued by a pair of water clones from behind, a third clone wresting her fan from her in one bound. "What is this?" squirmed the Sand-nin, struggling against her captors. "I was watching the ground. How did they get up here?"

"I used the trees," answered Sakura. "Plants have a system which they use to transport water, kind of like indoor plumbing. You could say I borrowed their piping and funneled water up to the tree stump just a few paces behind you. From there, it was just a matter of finding the right moment to create my water clones."

"Tch, shoulda figured you'd try something sneaky like that. Guess you got me."

Sakura's body tensed at her words. Even as the blonde was clearly held by the water clones, her body's intuition nagged that this was a lie. But how? The girl was, in fact, caught and now her third clone was making its way towards her with the Sand-nin's only weapon.

But then there was Temari's abandonment of her wind jutsu. That was unusual too. She wanted to get into close combat, even at the risk of leaving her fan open to be stolen while they fought. Unless...the fan was...

With a wave of chakra to her feet, the Leaf-nin pounced from her approaching water clone. Within seconds, the clone was ripped apart in the blast of an explosion. The shockwaves propelled Sakura through the brush, her side slamming roughly into a tree trunk. She scrambled to her feet, but her body was still aching from all the bashing and bruising.

The pinkette managed to get to her knees before she registered the cold edge at her back, freezing her in place.

"That's right, a kunai at your back means now you're the one who can't move."

"You rigged your fan with paper bombs," murmured Sakura, barely able to hear herself through the blood pounding in her ears. "I-I hadn't expected you'd sacrifice your weapon just to get rid of me."

"I didn't sacrifice a thing," answered Temari. "I know my weaknesses a lot better than you do. My smarter opponents always seem to figure out that taking away my fan is the best way to neutralize me as a threat. So I have fake doubles that I can replace my real fan with through a special summoning, a form of substitution jutsu.

"You think I didn't know you were biding time to get your water techniques working? In the end, I gave you what you wanted and swapped out my real fan. Gotta give you credit though. Those last set of clones really did take me by surprise."

"But you had already exchanged your fan," finished the Leaf-nin. "Then destroyed my two other clones in the confusion of the blast. Are you planning to-to kill me now?"

The blonde was standing behind her, so she didn't have a face to read. However, based on their interactions about the invasion, Sakura guessed that the Sand ninja had her doubts. Perhaps it was enough to spare her life.

"I should kill you," she spat. "More for not doing what you were supposed to do than any order from Kazekage-sama."

"You keep saying that. What was it that I did or didn't do that has you so upset with me? It feels personal, but I don't even know you."

"Don't play innocent. You abandoned him when he needed you the most, and you act like your hands are clean."

"I-I don't even know what you're talking about," stammered Sakura. She really didn't feel comfortable upsetting someone with a knife currently to her back, but she needed to know what on earth was going on.

"You really don't know?" Temari swiveled to Sakura's front in a flash, forcing her face to hers with a harsh grab of the sleeve. The blonde seemed even more irate at the authentic confusion she found in her widened eyes of emerald. "You crushed his world, and you didn't even notice. You didn't even notice?"

A burning sting on her face alerted Sakura that she had been slapped. The shock of it hurt more than the actual blow though. She had never done anything to warrant a smack to the face...had she?

"You were his friend," seethed the Sand-nin. "He let you in. He told you things, wrote to you. He-He opened himself to you and you slammed the door on him when he needed you the most. Don't you get anything?"

Wrote. She was saying this person had written to her? She couldn't be talking about...

"Gaara-kun?" she choked, earning a glare from Temari.

"And would you quit using that suffix? He was never anything that remotely close to you. You don't know him at all and you never even wanted to. You just used him for information and then dumped him the first chance you got."

"I never used him," piped Sakura, tangible strength in her voice. "I've always been the best friend I could to Gaara-kun. He's important to me."

"Is that why you stopped writing to him?" the blonde spat back. "Because you were such a good friend?"

Her icy words chilled Sakura's face into blank numbness.

"You didn't even realize that you stopped, did you? You didn't think how much that would hurt him. What that would do to him. And it was right after Yashamaru-ojisan..."

"W-Wait, I've heard that name before. Gaara-kun mentioned him once. What happened to-"

"You don't have the right to know," snapped Temari. "But then...maybe I should tell you. I might get some satisfaction out of watching the guilt in your eyes before I finish you off. You know what my brother is, don't you? The things he's capable of. And you also know he wasn't like this before. Ever wondered what changed him?"

Simple answer, yes. She had been aching over this for an entire month.

"It first started when Yashamaru-ojisan tried to kill Gaara."

"H-He tried to do what? N-No, that can't be right. He always spoke so highly of your uncle. He loved him more than anything in the world."

"So you can imagine how deeply that affected him. He was ordered that task by our own father, and freely accepted his mission. Yashamaru-ojisan never loved my brother. He always hated him for being the reason why his sister, our mother, died. That was the first and biggest strike. The second one was you."

"I...I hurt him?"

"You broke whatever was left," exasperated the Sand-nin. "He wouldn't talk to any of us about the attack on him. Just stayed locked up in his room writing to his dearest Sakura-chan, seeking comfort in you. And then you stopped responding. You saw he was in need and did nothing. I should have expected as much from someone from Iwagakure. There's a reason the grudge between the Sand and Rock runs so deep.

"And to think, Gaara only met you after a trip our father made trying to seek peace. The Tsuchikage only allowed your letters to Gaara so that you could gather as much information about our Jinjuriki as possible to use against us one day. Or were you really naïve enough to think it was to accommodate some fake bond you shared? Because those village elders are that sentimental. Give me a break."

The pinkette shook her head against the jarring information. "No. No you're lying. Tsuchikage-sama is a good man. If what you're saying is true then why would your village allow our letters?"

"Because information is a double-edged sword. My father had hoped your communication with Gaara would allow the Tsuchikage to learn just how dangerous and disturbed the Hidden Sand's weapon is. Then Iwa would think twice before attacking our village again."

"This, this can't be true," she despaired, fingers scraping against the bark beneath her. "No...and then when I stopped writing..."

"He lost all faith in things like love," finished Temari. "He got colder, started killing people just for fun. His entire perspective on life became so twisted. And all because the two people he opened up to most turned their backs on him. You don't deserve to live."

"Y-You're...probably right."

The blonde eyed the girl jadedly. Was this some ploy to earn her sympathy now? Her entire visage was washed in blankness, void of anything except the trail of tears. The girl wasn't going to get let off that easily.

"You better back off from her, lady."

The pair of kunoichi was soon joined by a blonde boy and a shabby mutt. Was this supposed to be the girl's cavalry? "Run along, kid. This is between me and her."

"It's between you 'n me if you keep that kunai pulled on her," retorted Naruto. "We don't have time to waste on you with Sasuke still out there, so just get away from her."

"Oh? And what can you do about it?" she taunted with a smirk. "I can slit her throat before you even get close to-"

With one fluid sweep of an arm, Temari's kunai soared out of her hands. A heel to the chest and she was propelled away from the pinkette.

"You fooled me," gasped the Sand-nin, palm on her stomach as she fought to her feet. "You looked so zoned out I let my guard down talking to that boy. All this time you were faking it."

"I wasn't..." Sakura fisted the tears from her face, solemn gaze on Temari. "I'm so sorry for what I've done to him. It was all...it was a mistake. I never meant to hurt him. Things just happened so fast then. My village was at war and then I moved after my...that's no excuse. But I never meant to hurt him. And I never stopped caring about him. Our friendship was real to me, and you have to know that."

Sakura's hand drifted to her special maroon pouch behind her. She never needed to open it during battle, but she supposed there was an exception for everything. "This proves it." She motioned slowly toward the blonde, handing her a sheet of paper.

The wind-user unfolded it briskly, aqua eyes scanning the contents before gaping at the pinkette. "This is one of his..."

"I kept them all," said Sakura, returning the page to her pouch. "Please, let us leave to stop him. I have to show him all this, let him know why things happened the way they did. Sasuke's there fighting him alone and I don't want to lose him too. I want to save both of them."

Temari studied the girl before her, tsking when she came to a decision. "My chakra's just about finished so it's not like I can stop you anyway. And this doesn't make us okay. I can never forgive you for not helping my brother when you could have so long ago."

"You're one to talk," jabbed Naruto, leaping beside his teammate. "I don't really get what all this is about, but if it's about saving Gaara then you had way more chances to help him than Sakura-chan ever did."

"Watch your tongue," spat Temari. "You don't know what you're-"

"He's your brother. You live together, for cryin' out loud. And you're blaming someone who's from a totally different village? The loneliness in him...it takes years of isolation to build up. Years of being ignored and rejected by everyone around you. So don't go shovin' all the blame on Sakura-chan just to make yourself feel better."

The Sand kunoichi answered him with silence, turning away from them with a grunt before finally jetting off somewhere.

"Do you...do you really believe it's not my fault, Naruto?" asked Sakura weakly, head bowed guiltily.

"Of course it's not. Don't think twice about it. She was just bullying you to make herself feel better, that's all."

She allowed the air to absorb his words, not fully believing them despite how hard she wished she could. Maybe Temari was right. After Yashamaru's betrayal, maybe her actions were the straw that broke the camel's back. The catalyst that spiraled him out of control.

Regardless of that, it was all in the past now. She could only affect what happened next. She tried so hard to remember that.

"What do you want to do, Sakura-chan? Are we really just going to drag Sasuke with us 'n leave?"

"Those were our orders, weren't they?"

"I know we're supposed to get him back home safe but...Sakura-chan, they're planning to use Gaara as a weapon against the village. That puppet guy told me before I clocked 'im."

The pinkette's stunned gaze drifted from Naruto to Pakkun for confirmation. "He's right. An aspect of the invasion involves using the Sand ninja as a trump card to demolish our ninja. Now that he's rested up after being injured by Sasuke earlier, I imagine they'll be heading back to Konoha to support enemy forces."

"A lot of people will die," said Sakura. "But Sasuke..."

"Hey, it's not like he'd even let us take him back anyway," offered Naruto, giving his head a sheepish rub. "Especially if his safety's the excuse."

"I guess we back him up then," concluded Sakura, heart swimming with both relief and worry.

"And you can tell him what you need to tell him."

"I'm not sure how much I can help Gaara-...san, but I have to try. He has to know the truth."

"So you're ignoring orders to stop a deranged killer," summed up Pakkun. "Jeez, you really are Kakashi's students."

* * *

Naruto tornadoed a hefty kick into the behemoth that was rampaging toward Sasuke. The beast sailed toward another tree before flipping onto the branch neatly. He glared at the blonde standing between him and his prey, his demonically transformed eyes carrying a bloodlust with which his normal eyes could not compete.

His pink-haired teammate landed beside the fallen boy along with Pakkun, looking over his injuries with concern. They had finally caught up to Sasuke, but he looked considerably worse for wear. His right shoulder in particular was heavily bloodstained.

"What are you two doing here?" he gritted, straining to his feet. "He's way too powerful. I want you both to get out of here right now."

"You aren't honestly expecting us to take that seriously, do you?" asked Sakura, eyebrow arched. "Leave things to us from here."

"If you're staying, then I fight with you."

"But Sasuke..."

"Err, guys? Maybe now's not the best time to be arguing. I mean, whoever's fighting him is gonna need all the help they can get here anyway."

Sakura and Sasuke exchanged looks. You knew something was wrong when _Naruto_ had to be the voice of reason.

"He's a lot faster and stronger when he's like this," said Sasuke, cluing in his teammates on what he had gathered. "The Chidori is the perfect thing to work against him, but I've already exhausted my daily limit of two bursts so I can't rely on it anymore. In that state, his defenses are higher and he can fire off these high-powered sand shuriken in a flash."

In this state? For the first time, Sakura's gaze left her teammates and zeroed in on Gaara, the blood draining from her face in response. This _thing_ was Gaara? The sandy form of a demonic raccoon with massive arms and a tail supported by tiny human feet. This was Gaara?

"Keep it together, Sakura," advised Sasuke, his eyes not missing her reaction. "This isn't the same person you knew. He's something a lot more twisted."

"I...I know. It's just-"

"Focus on your plan to defeat him and forget about everything else. You can try talking him down after."

"A plan?" questioned Naruto, turning to the pinkette. "You didn't tell me that. How does Sasuke know you have a plan already?"

"He doesn't," she answered flatly. "He's only speculating."

"A guy who can injure me like this is no pushover," pressed Sasuke. "Quit holding back and tell us what you've come up with. Or do you really expect me to believe you didn't go in to the tournament without a strategy for how you'd fight each contestant, especially him."

Her raven-haired teammate knew her too well, as annoying as it was that very moment. But starting off with a move that serious...

"You can't get through to him now, you have to realize that. Tell us what you've got and we can slow him down enough for you to talk to him. It's a compromise."

"My idea isn't tailored to include you and Naruto, or these battle conditions," she relented. "I'm going to need a little time to tweak it."

"We got you covered," stated Naruto. "Do what you gotta do, Sakura-chan."

The boys left their teammate and charged toward the sand demon. Naruto had been swept aside by an arm easily, the Uchiha managing to avoid the blow only to be followed by a barrage of sand shuriken. The boy darted between the branches to avoid them. In the same breath, an armada of Shadow clones tackled the creature from the rear. A few strikes connected with its armor before the monster belted them to dust with a wave of its tail, the real Naruto crashing into a tree from the attack.

Sasuke made a grab for the blonde before he could be struck again, the pair landing heavily before Sakura.

"Well?" panted Sasuke.

"I have...something. It uses some of the same concepts about weighing down and solidifying the sand armor by imbuing it with water, but a little different. Naruto, I need you to collect something for me. Pakkun will show you the way and explain."

"Gotcha." The blonde shakily rose to his feet before speeding away with their canine companion.

"And what do we do here?" asked Sasuke. "What does your plan mean for us?"

"If this works like I hope, they'll be enough clay and water worked into the sand to significantly slow him down, and allow us to break his armor apart."

"So you sent Naruto to get clay."

She nodded. "It should make the sand stick together more so the armor doesn't keep regenerating."

"It'll still mean a lot of work getting it off, since we're technically refortifying," posited Sasuke. "I can hit him with a Fireball jutsu and dry out the clay. Then we can bust it apart easier, like pottery."

"I...I didn't even consider that. It's genius, Sasuke," commended the kunoichi. "But I need some time to accumulate enough water before any of this can happen. Would it be too much to ask to keep him busy while still saving up enough chakra for an intense fire jutsu?"

The boy smirked. "I'll keep this monkey off your back."

She spared him a smile before he launched himself at their enemy yet again. Monkey? More like Rampaging Raccoon of Death. But she was glad to be working constructively with him again. Their relationship had been rife with arguments for so long, she had almost forgotten what a great team they made.

The girl pressed her palms against bark beneath her, her concentration on the underground. The forest provided a moister environment than the arena had. It was a lot easier to find water sources to compile. The tree was a helpful conduit as well. Its root system seemed to add range to her water-gathering. It was a stroke of luck she even discovered this.

Her mind locked itself into its fortitude of focus, her chakra resonating with the fluids to coagulate a sizable pool. She wasn't conscious of how much time had passed, her psyche only reentering the real world in response to sturdy arms sweeping her to a lower branch.

Her eyes snapped open to Sasuke before he shoved her again to separate, just in time to miss a hail of sand shuriken. She caught herself on a tower of lumber, pushing off the bark to miss another set of projectiles. It seemed the creature had its sights set on her now.

She managed to barely escape a few more blows until a set of sand bullets collided into her shoulder, driving her through a branch before slamming her into a trunk. The splotchy world twirled in her vision as she staggered to her knees, finding herself whisked away to another branch before hearing the explosion of wood.

"Sakura, are you okay? You're head..."

His fingers trailed to her temple, brushing away her locks to assess the damage. She was wondering why the side of her face felt streaked wet all of a sudden.

"I'll be fine," she insisted rather drunkenly, sweeping his hand away. "It's nothing."

"A head injury isn't nothing," he reprimanded. "You can't even stand."

"I can." She rose to her feet for emphasis, albeit awkwardly. "The blow just threw me off at first."

"You need to sit down."

"Jeez, I'm gone for ten minutes and you're at each other throats again?" The two genin whirled to the sound of their teammate in relief. He saluted. "Konoha's Number One Hyperactive Knucklehead Ninja at your service, believe it!" He left the dozen-or-so clones behind him, alighting next to the pair with Pakkun in tow.

"You found the clay pool then," said Sakura, noting the handfuls of paste the clones were holding.

"Yup. But what happened to you guys? Wow, you look awful."

"I can't imagine why," deadpanned Sasuke.

"We have to start this now," chimed Sakura, holding her arms out. At her chakra's command, streams of water rose from the ground, swirling to form a human-sized globule of water in the air between them.

On cue, the clones assaulted the ball with their stows of clay, Sakura making her appropriate hand signs. At the beck of her chakra, the concoction swirled and churned onto itself in a makeshift whirlpool.

With their hands free, half of the clones charged toward the sand demon in attack. They were easily handled with a swipe of the creature's tail, its gaze rising to the brown mass towering above it.

"Water Style: Water Vortex jutsu."

In a flash, the demon was engulfed by a tornado of water, its fluids driving their way into its granular body. Sakura's entire visage strained under the pressure of her jutsu. Her hands squeezed into the last seal, her fixed gaze never leaving the creature as it squirmed inside its turbulent prison.

"Now Sasuke," she gritted.

The mass was consumed in an oven of flames just as suddenly, its orange blaze and heat showering the area on which they stood. With one last breath from Sasuke, he collapsed to his knees, a superheated body of rock emerging from the dying flames

"Paper bombs, Naruto," gasped the pinkette, her chakra exhausted as well.

The remaining Shadow clones bombarded the mass with explosive tags, and in seconds the frozen figure was the epicenter of a booming explosion. The genin shielded their eyes from the blast, anxious for what they would find once the smoke cleared.

Fragments of rock and debris rained under the cloud of dust, the smog dissipating to reveal Gaara – no claws, no tails. It was him. Half of his face remained transformed, but it was still him. Maybe now, she could finally get through to him.

"It's over," said Naruto. "Your armor is gone so just stop this and give up."

"Gone? Do really think your elaborate little attack did a thing to me? Look again."

Sakura strained her gaze on him. Apart from his face, there was no trace of armor the demon afforded him. He was human.

"His skin," murmured Sasuke in disgust. "There wasn't enough force to get his skin."

Her eyes scanned for what her teammate was referring to, her jaw loosening when she finally found it –his body littered with cracks and crumbles. They were focusing so much on the gruesome outer covering, they had forgotten about the airtight – and indeed watertight – layer of sand that doubled over his actual skin.

"I always have this secondary armor on me, so long as I possess enough chakra to maintain it." An amused chuckle ripped through the air between them. "It's been so long...to get the chance to face opponents who push my levels to their absolute limits...who can even wound me...wiping you out will be the ultimate validation of my existence."

"Gaara-san, you don't have to do this," pleaded Sakura, forcing herself to her feet in her appeal. "I'm so sorry for hurting you. You have to know I never meant to. It was...things were hard for me then. But you were always in my thoughts. You were always with me, and I have proof-"

"Enough of this nonsense," he roared. "I don't know you!"

"You do," she yelled back, drawing closer to him. "You've forgotten me, just like you forgot who you used to be, and just substituted it for this thing. You weren't always like this. I think I understand now...your heart might be beyond my power to change. Only you can change you, Gaara-san. But I will make you remember. I can do that much, and I'll be happy with what I can do. Forgive myself for what I can't."

"Why are you insisting on this foolishness?"

"Because I care about you, more than myself right now."

Gaara only gaped at her incensed features, her words rebounding in the spaces of his mind. There was another voice trapped inside that had said almost the same thing, wasn't there? And it sounded so much like this girl...

_"Love is when you care about someone enough to put their needs and wellbeing before yourself. That's what Okaa-san told me once anyway..."_

A loud groan tore through the air as the boy shed his sandy skin, the grains accumulating onto his right hand and transforming it into the monstrous form it previously held.

"Stop it," she begged. "I won't let you do this to yourself. You have to know that I-"

A clamp over her body abruptly stoppered her voice as Sakura squirmed against the sandy arm entrapping her. He lifted the girl in his grasp with ease, his grip tightening ever so slightly as she stared desperately down into his eyes.

It was getting harder to see, whether from her inability to breathe or the tears welling in her eyes, who was to say. Then she went almost deaf, nothing but the incessant sound of chirping assailing her ears. Before she could place what it was, a torrent of pain exploded from her ribcage. He was slowly and remorselessly breaking her apart, and there was nothing she could do.

And just when her protesting lungs felt ready to implode inside her chest under the pressure, relief flooded her system, her body finally gasping to replace her air supply. She blearily registered herself being dropped onto a tree branch, liquid rasping from her mouth while she fought for breath. Her lungs were burning inside, her chest aching with every inhale.

The pinkette spared her surroundings a weak glance through her choking. There was a dark figure splayed beside her. It was blurry, but she could tell he was shaking as uncontrollably as she was coughing. What had happened to him? What had happened to her?

A haze of orange invaded her vision, her face cupped by something warm. "Sakura-chan. And Sasuke too?"

Naruto's eyes flickered in horror from one teammate to the other. The kunoichi looked completely out of it. She didn't even seem to recognize who he was. And he almost expected a lung to explode from her mouth with the amount of blood she was coughing up.

Sasuke was in no better condition. He had raced in to save their teammate, tearing a Chidori through her sandy prison before carrying her to safety. But didn't he say something about not using his Chidori anymore? Now he couldn't even stand. And those dark markings on his body didn't look right either.

"Don't know what to do?" jeered Gaara, his spilling sand racing to regenerate the arm Sasuke had destroyed. "That's right, you're the one I didn't kill that time. In the hospital. Your eyes were dripping with the same terror then too. Someone like you can't touch me."

"I-I can do plenty! I'll do whatever it takes to protect them."

"You mean those two?" sniggered Gaara. "That's exactly why you can't beat me. You fight to protect your friends and such bonds make you weak. I am stronger because I love only myself. I fight for only myself. I've emptied my life of such pathetic emotional ties, and that is what makes me undefeatable. Forget your friends and do the same. That is the only chance you have of surviving me."

The boy threw a hesitant glance at his fallen teammates. Abandoning his vow to keep them safe was not an option. That may have indeed left him weaker against an opponent like Gaara, but it was a gamble he had to make. "I'll still beat you," he insisted, biting his thumb before signing. "This jutsu will even the odds. It's time to call in the Chief Toad!"

His palm slammed onto the wood, his surroundings consumed in a puff of smoke before revealing the appearance of a black-spotted red frog. It was the animal he had wanted, but not necessarily in the size he had needed.

"Who the heck are you?" squealed Naruto, incredulously pointing at the Pakkun-sized amphibian. "You're not the Chief!"

"I'm Gamakichi," he chirped. "You were probably lookin' for Pa. Instead you get me. Must not have put enough chakra into the summoning. Tough luck, kid."

The blonde glared at the creature before diving to shield it from a barrage of sand shuriken, his body crashing into a trunk. "Darn it."

With a wave of his hands, a dozen Shadow clones materialized onto the scene, charging toward their foe. The Sand-nin had since altered his appearance, taking on the more complete form of a mini-Shikaku. The creature inhaled deeply, firing a tsunami of ripping air that disintegrated the clones. Naruto ricocheted through a tree branch from the blow, sweeping a trail of blood from his lips while he got up. This guy wasn't going to make things easy for him.

Struck with an idea, the genin created more clones, launching into a more scattered assault as he used his doubles to be thrown and maneuvered about the beast until finally sneaking around his rear. He had his rigged kunai in hand.

He managed to plant the dagger in the sand beneath its tail before he was forced off with a smash. The weapon exploded with a boomed, destabilizing some of the armor, though it was steadily regenerating.

Naruto's body crashed into something softer than the bark he was expecting, and he turned to find Sasuke crouched behind him. He had cushioned his blow.

"All that work, and you only scored one blow?"

"Put a sock in it Sasuke," snapped the blonde. The markings still hadn't left the Uchiha's skin, and he didn't miss that his friend's body seemed rigid somehow.

"Listen to me, Naruto. I want you to take Sakura and get out of here. She can barely breathe and she needs to get to a hospital."

The blonde gaped at his teammate. "What? B-But what about you? And your body is..."

"I can hold him off a little longer," he gritted, straining to his feet. It was a miracle he could even stand. "We can't let anything happen to her. I will not see any of my comrades die. I can't witness that again..."

His words seemed to linger off to a distant memory, but the emotion communicated was very much in the present. Naruto awed at his rival. When had he ever seen Sasuke feel stronger about anything other than gaining strength? His gaze drifted to Sakura gasping on an adjacent branch. She had given everything in the hopes of getting through to a monster like Gaara. It was so like her. It wasn't too long ago that she had risked her own life to spare his in the Land of Waves. It didn't even seem like she had liked him very much when she did it either.

All this time, those two had been teaching him something. They were showing him something important.

"I finally get it now," said Naruto, a mirthless smile in place. "He's no different than I am. He's been carrying the same pain and loneliness as I have. He fights only for himself, and because of that I thought that made him strong. I should have known better I guess."

"What idiocy are you spouting now?" hissed the sand demon.

"You think your philosophy makes you better but it doesn't. You'll stay stuck at the same level if all you fight for is yourself. Haku had it right all along, back in the Land of Waves...to be truly strong means fighting for someone else. Someone who's important. And I'm gonna show that to you right now!"

* * *

"_Sakura-chan, what do you think love is?" _

_The pink-haired girl kicked in momentum with her swing, eying her playmate at her side._

"_Love is love," she chirped. "I never really thought too much what it is, but I know what it looks like." _

"_Oh," he sighed, his sways lacking the same jubilant energy as the girl's._

"_You sound let down. What's up?"_

"_I've just been thinking about it lately. I'm trying to understand it more. Yashamaru-ojisan talked about it with me just before I came here, but I don't really get it."_

"_Well between the two of us we've gotta be able to figure it out," she piped, brimming with optimism. "What'd he say?"_

"_It's what makes us want to do good for someone else, and watch over them and care for them."_

"_Wow, you're uncle sounds really smart! That's the perfect answer."_

"_I suppose," murmured the redhead, feet planted on the ground. The pinkette halted her swings as well, his wave of melancholy worrying her. "Love's supposed to be the thing to take away the pain inside my heart. B-But how can I ever get it if I don't even understand what it is? It hurts so much inside."_

_The boy turned to the warm touch radiating atop the hand he had gripping his swing's chain. He awed at the radiant smile which greeted him. "Love is when you care about someone enough to put their needs and wellbeing before yourself. That's what Okaa-san told me once anyway, but I didn't really get it either. Love's complicated I guess, so don't worry about it so much. You'll know it as well as your uncle does, one day."_

"_But if I don't know it now, how can I-"_

"_I'll give you an example," she answered matter-of-factly. "It's just like now. You were sad, so I stopped swinging to help you out. That counts for looking out for someone else I think. I'm not sure if that's love, but it might be pretty close."_

"_You mean...what you did just now was...it was like love?" _

"_Absolutely," she nodded, grinning widely. Through her inexperience, she had missed the desperation in his voice at the query. The longing laced between the words. But there was no question about what followed. The tiny curl of his lips, it was clear as that sunny day beating down on them how he felt in that moment, the relief, the comfort._

_And the pair resumed their swinging in perfect synchrony._

* * *

Booms and vibrations against her resting body shook her to wakefulness. The girl lifted herself to her knees, hazily scanning her surroundings. There were trees everywhere. She must have been in a forest but...no, that was wrong. Where did the swing set go? And what about that little boy? Why did she feel like he was in trouble? She needed to get back to him. Find him.

"Sakura, hey it's me." Sasuke shifted to her front, resting a hand on her shoulder to support her. She didn't look well at all.

The pinkette held the bridge of her nose, recollection of the most recent events flooding her memory. "It was just a dream," she exhaled.

Her chest ached significantly, and there was still quite a bit of coughing. But no more blood, thankfully. What would she do without that healing ability of hers? "Where's Naruto? And Gaara-san. What happened to-"

The tree beneath them quaked, forcing the ninja flat on the branch to brace themselves. Sakura's ribs didn't appreciate that move very much. Her teammate helped her to sit up after the tremors ended.

"That's Naruto," began Sasuke. "He's fighting Gaara right now, just look up."

Her skyward gaze revealed a mountain-sized sand raccoon and an equally large toad flitting in and out of her vision in combat. It was easy to tell what was causing those earthquakes.

"The kid's pretty impressive," said Pakkun seated beside them. "He created a gargantuan number of clones – at least a hundred – and pounded on the Sand-nin. Forced Gaara to transform into that thing, so Naruto countered with Gamabunta."

"Naruto can summon?" gaped Sakura.

"Well he's still got a ways to go before going pro," chuckled the canine. "Even the Chief needed some convincing to help out the kid, but Gamakichi took care of it. We summoned animals don't obey just anyone who signs a blood contract you know."

"It's amazing he's gotten to this level," added Sasuke, though there was a detectable edge in his voice.

"The better for him to stay alive with," coughed Sakura. "I don't like him fighting out there alone, and against a monster like that."

"Yeah, he's not gonna last long."

Their heads snapped in the direction of the familiar voice, Sasuke crouched before his teammate protectively.

The Sand-nin raised her hands innocently. "Easy there, I'm not here to fight. Just taking cover. This landscape's going to get battered apart, and it's best we all head out of here before that happens."

"And why are you here with us then? We're not your allies."

"You're not a very trusting guy, are you? I just wanted to see how many of you survived. I knew you couldn't stop him."

Sakura shied away from the blonde's hard gaze. She really hadn't been able to do a thing, except nearly get herself squeezed to a pulp.

"And now that he's fully possessed by the Shikaku," continued Temari, "not even that frog stands a chance."

"Possessed?" asked Sasuke.

"Gaara is under the Play Possum jutsu, meaning he's asleep," explained Temari. "His mind and body have been completely taken over by the One-Tailed Beast sealed inside him. Just look up and you'll see it. Shikaku has a counter for every blow of that frog's, and he moves too fast for them to get near him and slap Gaara awake. That's the only way to break the possession. No one can stand up to a Tailed Beast. They're finished."

"We have to help them," blurted Sakura, rising to a weak stance. "They need back up."

"And what do you think you can do?" laughed the Sand-nin. "Other than get stepped on I mean."

"Sakura..." He grabbed her arm, staring hard into her eyes and she reciprocated. She knew how crazy this sounded, how absolutely suicidal. But she also knew something else...

"Naruto's out there," she pleaded. "Our teammate, Sasuke, our friend. I can't let anything happen to him, and I know you can't either. Even if it's something small, we have to help him."

Sasuke sighed heavily. This had been such a long day. And not even all her physical trauma and exhaustion would stop his distressed teammate from opening herself to more abuse. At least if he went with her, he could keep her from dying. He would have enough power to do that.

"I'm assuming you aren't going in there half-cocked," relented the Uchiha. "You've got some idea cooked up."

"It's not a new one," she said, smiling in gratitude despite the situation. "Haven't you noticed, Shikaku has been avoiding the Chief Toad's Water Bullets like the plague. We can slow him down with a Water Vortex jutsu, just like I had planned with Gaara. We can take him by surprise from down here. I just need to get to a river."

"I can lead the way," chimed Pakkun. "I smell one not too far from here."

"You people are nuts," exasperated Temari. "I just told you this place isn't safe, and now you want to venture deeper into their battle area?"

"It's the only way to save them both," said Sakura. "I can't imagine this possession is good for Gaara-san's mental state. You want him awake just as badly as we-" A slur of coughs interrupted her, the girl keeling over to relieve her weakened body.

"No way you can travel like that," noted the blonde. "You can barely stand."

Sasuke lifted the girl to her feet, swinging her arm delicately over his shoulder to support her side. "If you really care what happens to your brother, you'd at least help me get her to that river."

Temari openly glared at the Uchiha. That was quite the low blow, questioning her love for her little brother. What was she supposed to do? Go out there and get herself killed like them? How would that help anyone?

"Do what you want but I'm getting out of here." The Sand-nin turned on her heels without another glance, speeding through the forest while the two ninja and their hound made their way to the closest river.

Their pace was slower than it should have, but they had finally made it to their destination. Fortunately, the giants had not taken their brawl to the immediate vicinity yet, leaving Sakura to her chakra-resonating meditation.

Kagura's voice echoed in the recesses of her calmed mind as she sat on the bank, cajoling her to peak concentration.

"_Become one with the water, Sakura-chan. A perfect connection conserves chakra and allows the most efficient use of water jutsu while facilitating greater control. Open yourself to a link which goes beyond yourself."_

She had to work her chakra perfectly for this, and she would. So what if it meant controlling the largest mass of water she'd ever handled, with a meager amount of chakra to boot. That wouldn't affect things. If she just put her mind to it, if she just tried hard enough, her will would be enough to carry her through her physical limitations...right?

The eruption of pain sweltering in her chest cavity answered her question, her body convulsing under the strain as it reflexively tried coughing up her lungs again. Crimson spilled passed her pale lips, her fingers scraping against mud as she fought to pull herself together. She couldn't afford to crack under this, not now, when her friends needed her.

She called forth more chakra from her reserves, fighting to maintain her connection, and her ribs recoiled with a greater protest of choking and blood. Her reluctant body refused to give her what she needed, but she didn't stop pushing.

Why did the world work like this? Why weren't her intentions, her planning, her training, her effort, her willingness to risk her life and her body to save her important people...why wasn't all that enough? After putting in so much, why couldn't the world give her a freebee just this one time? Why did the laws of nature have to crack the whip on people who were only trying to make things right, and ensnare them with their own real-world limitations?

"Stop it, Sakura," commanded Sasuke, gripping her shoulders so hard it was like he was ready to shake her into submission. "Stop this now. Your body can't take it."

"I have to do something," she rasped, the coughing slowly dying after she relinquished summoning her chakra. "We can't leave him out there to die."

"We're not," he answered, voice more even now that her lungs had stopped leaking blood. "This is happening to you because you're out of chakra and your body's destroying itself to give you more. You can take mine." He offered her his hands.

She eyed his palms curiously before his suggestion finally clicked, earning the boy an incredulous look of outrage. "As low as my chakra is, yours is even worse," she snapped. "Whatever energy you pull, it'll be from that curse on your shoulder. The markings haven't even gone away yet after you freed me, Sasuke. I'm not having you draw on more of its power, no way."

"Would you rather have Naruto die?"

His words were ice on her ears. Was he really going to make her choose between them?

"I won't lose control," he promised. "Sakura, I need to do this just as much as you do. You said it yourself. As annoying of an idiot as he is, Naruto's a part of this team. A comrade. I won't let my comrades fall. And I won't let that curse get me either."

Sakura's eyes searched desperately into his. She didn't like it. He knew she didn't like it. But there really wasn't anything left to discuss.

She hesitantly placed her palms in his, instantly registering another presence travelling up her hand. There was a tingly sensation to it, warm but somewhat invasive and uncomfortable. There was something out of place about it. She had to suppress the reflex of shutting this force out, like dispelling a genjutsu.

The prickly spark gradually dipped into a chill, her body shuddering to it with goose-bumps as the pulse journeyed to her center. When the energy finally arrived at her core so that she could begin molding it, the chill graduated to a wintery maelstrom. An icy fire blazed through her chakra channels in earnest.

A pained shriek ripped passed her gritted teeth. Her hands tore themselves from Sasuke's, encircling her body as she slumped to the ground, squirming and contorting against the dirt. Her cries did not stop while she fought against the parasitic energy festering inside her. She wanted it out. She needed it out. She was dying inside, the freezing fire cooking her from the inside out!

A more physical pain radiated from her arm as she writhed, a shower of warmth combating the dark energy, combining with her own chakra to vaporize the unwelcomed being. It was a slow process, but the ominous energy receded under the thrall of her chakra, piecing apart until it at last become undetectable.

When she was finally aware of the physical world, the kunoichi found herself heaving and gasping like she had just fought a war, the perspiration lining her clothing supporting that conclusion. She noted the paleness of Sasuke's face looking down on her before her eyes shifted to the small dog that had just released her arm from its teeth.

"I'm sorry I had to do that," said Pakkun, licking the punctures he had made apologetically. "It was the only way to help you expel the dark chakra. You're a lot more sensitive to it than Sasuke here apparently."

"W-What?"

"With the seal somewhat active right now, the chakra Sasuke funneled into you had traces from the curse," explained the canine. "I imagine it was minute, but your body fervently rejected it anyway. By biting you, I was able to lend you some of my own chakra. It merged with yours and helped your system neutralize it. It wasn't a pretty sight though. You were screaming your lungs out."

Sasuke hastily grabbed onto her as she tried to sit up. "You should lie down," he said, though his tone wasn't as forceful as it normally was when he advocated for her wellbeing. "You're not..."

Their arms remained entwined as he held onto her. His expression was a mask, but not a perfect one. He looked pale, his eyes pained as he stared into hers, hoping she could see his guilt for the ache he had caused her. Sakura's face was enveloped in too much fatigue for any emotion to be visible.

"Is that what it feels like?" she whispered, a shaky hand leaving his, pressing against his chest right above his heart. Her tired gaze did not rise above his torso. He was so warm against her clammy fingers.

"It's eating away at you," she continued, "I can feel that it is. This twisted energy, it's nothing but a parasite. It wants to take you away from us." Her eyes rose to his, swimming in tears, drowning in desperation. "Please, you can't let it. You can't let it tear your heart apart. You're-you're too important."

Her pounding head was too heavy and she fell into his shoulder, sobbing into him. He didn't know what to do. It was because of him she had gone so hysterical. He didn't like seeing her this way. It was wrong. This was all wrong. None of this was supposed to happen. And now, all he could do was cradle her trembling body in some vain attempt to act firm and reassuring.

"So is that it then?" asked Pakkun, drawing their attention to the current situation. Sakura lifted herself from Sasuke, the pair eying their canine partner. "With Sakura too weak to continue, we're better off heading out before their fight gets dragged over here."

They observed the brawling giants in the distance, the quakes and booms of their attacks easily reaching the trio. It was still a stalemate, and there was no telling how long the Chief Toad could keep up before Shikaku's limitless energy supply overpowered him.

"I'm going to try again," resolved Sakura, turning to her teammate before he could disagree. "I won't do it all alone. You were okay with it as long as I had another chakra source to draw from and that hasn't changed. Pakkun, could you...would you lend me your chakra to help Naruto?"

The canine studied her anxious eyes. "You really are Kakashi's students," he sighed, waddling toward her. "I don't have much, but you can take whatever chakra I have. Just don't kill me."

The pinkette offered a weak smile of gratitude before they began positioning themselves. Teaming up with a dog had never been something she fantasized about. And now she would be intimately sharing an energy force with one for a jutsu. An apprehensive endeavor, but of all the mutts she had to team up with, Pakkun probably wasn't the worst of them. He had jumped in to save her from the dark chakra after all.

"If it gets too much for you, please stop," said Sasuke. Of course, he knew she wouldn't listen, but he felt an annoyingly compelling need to say it anyway. She still looked too fragile after he...

"I'll be all right, Sasuke," she assured, watching the dog in her lap warily, her doubts about him resurfacing.

"I'm going to have to bite you again. Which arm would you prefer?"

"Th-The other one," she stammered. "I'm going to need to move my hands for hand signs, so I apologize in advance."

Pakkun clamped onto the girl's arm, earning a wince from her on contact. A weak wave of warmth funneled into her system shortly thereafter, and her eyelids slid shut in concentration. The chakra boost, however small, made it much easier to connect with the river water this time. Within a few moments, she felt ready.

Sakura made her practiced seals automatically. "Water Style: Water Vortex jutsu."

A massive torrent of blue whirled vertically into the air, the river beneath it constantly feeding its height as it slowly towered above the forest. Sakura grit her teeth under the effort. Something felt off. She had connected to the entire reservoir perfectly. But as she employed more of the water for a larger jutsu, she could feel less and less of it under her control. She needed more chakra.

The kunoichi grunted as she forced more energy into the jutsu, strengthening the waning whirlpool. The higher it got, the more water it shed. She was beginning to understand – the more attention she gave to water in her actual jutsu, the weaker her resonance with the liquid she had yet to funnel into the attack. Was this the limit of her Water Vortex?

She focused harder, hands growing white from the tightened grip of her seal. She had to get this right, but it was like rolling a boulder up a hill. The higher you got, the harder it was to continue. And she had got so close to sending the mass over the edge.

Sakura quickly changed strategies. She wouldn't risk losing the jutsu just to make it bigger. The pool swirled into a violent tempest under her chakra's influence as it charged up for the final push before it fired toward the One Tail.

The funnel of blue began looking lopsided as the water within it whirled about. It was getting harder to control, but she didn't need to keep it up much longer. A bit more, and the torrential jutsu would slam into Shikaku and-

A viscous throw of crimson exploded from her mouth, forcing the girl on her knees in uncontrollable coughing. She felt the spray of the river on her back as she choked, realizing with a wave of frustration that her jutsu had broken. But as her chest protested against her leaking lungs, she acknowledged that she had other things to worry about...like not suffocating.

Her cough gradually quieted to a rasp, and she was finally in control again. "I told you stop if it got too much."

"I'm...sorry," she wheezed, only now aware that Sasuke was supporting her side where she sat. She felt so woozy. "But...we can't just give up. I have to-"

"Pakkun is down for the count anyway," interjected Sasuke, pointing to the collapsed canine. He was still conscious, but panting heavily. "Besides, it looks like it's over."

Sakura's head snapped to the sky, her following vertigo making her regret the move. Two creatures were latched onto each other in a head-on struggle – the Shikaku trying its hardest to shake off the clawed grasp of...the Kyubi? When did this battle for the Hidden Leaf turn into Clash of the Tailed Beasts?

It was difficult to make out the specifics of the fight, but after an explosion of smoke Shukaku had disappeared from the scene, the minute forms of two boys falling into the forest.

"It's finally over?" gasped Sakura. "Naruto was able to handle it on his own after all. I'm glad."

"What you went through wasn't for nothing, Sakura," assured the boy on her side. His expression was hard as he looked to the empty space where the monsters had stood. "Shukaku noticed that whirlpool of water you made and he knew what you were up to. Your idea may not have worked how you had planned, but the Water Vortex provided enough of a distraction for Naruto and the toad to find an opening. You helped."

"So did you," she added. "I wouldn't have made it here if it weren't for you."

Oh yes, he had been the big hero today. He truly saved the day imbuing her with his tainted chakra, making her convulse in agony, throwing his friend into a hysteria she wrestled so hard to claw out from. His rival had outdone him for the first, while all he succeeded in accomplishing was hurting Sakura. And even as he watched the serene look on his teammate's face, he couldn't figure out which of the two things had upset him the most.

"We couldn't have done it without you either," she continued, offering Pakkun her hand as she scratched the back of his ear gratefully. "You really are a good dog."

A groan of satisfaction escaped the hound as he leaned into her fingers. "Can you do all my petting from now on? You have a much gentler touch than Kaka-... ah, that's nice."

She smiled at his amusing euphoria. Maybe dogs weren't _so_ awful...

"We still don't know how this ended," said Sasuke, "if it's even finished at all. I'm going to find Naruto."

A hand gripped his shirt before he could rise. "Take me with you," she appealed. "There's still something I have to do. Please."

The Uchiha stared at her blankly. He owed her, and he wasn't about to upset her again with an argument. Not when she looked so brittle, so frail, and yet so desperate. "I'm carrying you there," he stated, earning a disapproving glance from her. He only smirked. "It's a compromise."

She reluctantly yielded, latching onto Pakkun before mounting on Sasuke's back.

"Think you can keep rubbin' my ear the way you did?" asked the ninken as their carrier heaved through the trees.

"Only if you don't mind me letting go of Sasuke to do it," she retorted, suppressing a chuckle as the hound began to weep.

"But...your touch is so soooooooooooooft."

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -


	19. And the Tree Leaves Shall Bud Anew

******Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**********RE-WRITE: 3/16/12**

* * *

_**And the Tree Leaves Shall Bud Anew**_

Their journey through the forest was slow, but Sasuke, Sakura and their canine partner, Pakkun, had finally caught up to the warring genin. Both boys were now sprawled on opposite ends of a clearing, only one appearing to still have the energy to continue.

"No, stay away from me," cried Gaara as Naruto painstakingly dragged himself through the dirt toward him. "Just stay back."

"I can't let you hurt them again," he chanted. "No...no you can't..."

"It's all right, Naruto," came a voice above him. The blonde turned, his eyes greeted by Sasuke's assured gaze, Sakura draped atop his back. "This guy's out of chakra. He won't be attacking anyone anytime soon."

"That's a relief," he exhaled, chin dropped to the ground with Gaara directly in his line of sight. "You hear that? It's over."

"Not exactly," said Sakura, releasing Sasuke before crawling toward the Sand-nin. "There's still something I have to tell you."

"Not too close, Sakura," warned Sasuke. She stopped halfway between her teammates and the Sand ninja, unfazed as Gaara gazed at her flatly. She wouldn't let that affect her anymore.

"I know you don't remember me," she began, "and I think I'm going to stop trying to force you to. As much as we wish, we can't force people's hearts to change." Her thoughts wandered through her last meeting with the Third Hokage. It seemed like so long ago now. "I can't make you remember our friendship, or save you from this dark pit of violence and hatred you're stuck in. I'm just a person. I can't do all that, no matter how hard I wish I could.

"But I _can_ correct a mistake," she said sturdily, sweeping the water from her eyes before reaching into her special maroon pouch on her hip. "We used to send letters to each other, we did for over a year after we met in Iwagakure. We exchanged dozens of them, but eventually it all stopped. And we stopped because of me. Maybe that's why you forgot me. Maybe it was on purpose. I don't know, but I won't say I didn't deserve it."

The girl gave a hard cough, clearing her chest. All this talking was taking its toll on her.

"I didn't stop because I was through with you and I didn't value you anymore. I don't know if what Temari-san said is true, that the only reason they encouraged me to stay in contact with you was to gather information. But it wasn't like that for me. You were my friend. You were important to me...I-I think you still are, but I have to try to let go I guess. I just need to say this first.

"My village was in civil war, Gaara-san. For over two months, I couldn't even leave my house. Whether or not you sent anything then, it never made it to me. And after it all ended, I moved here. I lost my parents, my friends, my home...it was a-a hard time for me."

Sakura scrubbed more tears out of her eyes, fighting to keep her tone steady. The wheezing from her searing chest wasn't helping any.

"I remember trying to write to you once after, to tell you what happened. But I broke. Putting it all into words on paper...it was...I wasn't strong enough. I ripped the page apart before I even started. I figured you had to hear about the war. Maybe you'd think I died, and I thought that would be better. I didn't want to think about anything that even related to my old life. I just wanted to forget everything, to stop the nightmares, to stop crying, I just wanted it all over. At my lowest points...I even considered killing myself to make the pain go away."

"I botched it though," she chuckled hollowly. "Because I took these with me."

The girl rested a small bundle of parchment before the boy. "Your letters," she clarified. "I packed them with me when I left the Rock Village, stowed them away somewhere. I don't even remember why but I started reading them one night. I made it through the whole pile, and it made me feel better. And every time I felt bad, I found myself pulling them out and rereading them. It was silly I guess, but I think it made me feel like I was still important to someone. It reminded me there was still someone alive who thought about me-"

She was interrupted by a fit of coughing, tasting iron again. Her palms fell onto the grass for support as the girl fought to stop the world from swimming around her. How much blood had she lost?

"Even today," she continued, "I take those things wherever I go. In this pouch with...the other possessions I hold...dear to me. So I...never forgot you. You saved me, Gaara-san. I, I just wanted-"

Her drooping head dipped sharply, Sasuke at her side in a flash to catch her. She had really overdone herself. The boy gently guided her unconscious body to the floor where she rested peacefully.

Silence carried through the wave of air gusting between them, washing the space.

"Nonsense. It's all nonsense I don't understand."

"Are you kidding me?" exclaimed Naruto, still sprawled on his stomach. "You can't be that much of a monster, for none of what she said to even touch you."

"It's not the kind of thing someone like him could get, Naruto. Don't waste your breath."

"You two..." rasped Gaara, "I have a question for you. About that girl. Who is she to you?"

"What do you care?" hissed Sasuke.

"Your eyes change," he answered flatly. "The look in your eyes changes when you fight to safeguard her life. Your purpose for fighting grows stronger. I want to know what she means to you, to provoke such changes. Are you bound by some order or duty?"

"You really don't get it do you?" started Naruto, tone less critical than Sasuke's. "I know what you've gone through. I've been there too, in that same dark lonely place. But my team, my friends, they saved me from my loneliness. We saved each other in different ways I think. That's why we fight to protect each other."

"But I don't understand, why fight for someone other than yourself?"

"Because I value their lives more than my own," answered Naruto. "And I'll give anything to keep them all safe. Sakura-chan taught me that."

"Sakura-chan...?"

"Yeah, Sakura," started Sasuke. "You know, _that girl_ you keep referring to. She only ever can get serious in a fight when it's for someone else. She's weird like that."

"And you all do the same," stated Gaara. "Is that what makes you so strong...I wonder."

The boy turned his head away from the genin, peering at the sunny sky as he lay on his back. The trio of friends had a common thread to them, one that laced back to distant memories buried within him so long ago.

"_Love is the heart's desire to serve someone precious to you. To watch over them, like my sister did for you, Gaara."_

"_Love's complicated I guess, so don't worry about it so much. You'll know it as well as your uncle does, one day."_

Did this fight bring him closer to the answers he had abandoned on seeking so long ago? Love, and friendship. Was that the purpose that overshadowed his, that allowed Uzumaki Naruto to beat him? Had love been the flame that could flicker even Uchiha Sasuke's dark eyes to life? Was that why the girl...why Sakura had been so persistent with him?

Was that really what made those three so strong?

* * *

A sea of black exited the funeral grounds in waves, mourners of the scores of lives lost after the Sound Invasion. Konoha ninja had successfully driven back enemy forces, but it was not without sacrifice, the largest being the death of the Third Hokage. He had been the catalyst that lead to the enemy's retreat, after he permanently sealed Orochimaru's arms. It turned out that the snake sanin had been the orchestrator of the entire ordeal, going so far as to pose as the Sand's now-discovered-dead Kazekage to force them to act as his allies.

Yet all of this seemed like such hollow facts now, as the mass of people meandered off the grounds. The ceremony was beautiful yet cheerless, representing the ill-suited juxtaposition of feelings funerals were rife with – celebration of a life, contemplative self-reflection, explosions of guilt, rises of rage and, of course, the crying. Even the darkened skies seemed to be weeping.

Sakura stood near the gate with Sasuke and Kakashi, her eyes roaming about the space. The scene had reminded her too much of the ceremony after Iwa's civil war – the destruction, the confusion, the sadness. It made her a little numb to everything, a stark contrast to her blonde teammate. He had taken the Third's passing harder than any of them. Even as he stood on the side chattering with Iruka, there was a lackluster hue to his typically sparkling cerulean eyes.

"At least you all made it in one piece," exhaled Kakashi. "You don't know how grateful I am for that. From what I gathered from Pakkun, you had a real war on your hands yourselves."

"They still ended up getting away," remarked Sakura. "The other Sand genin came and took Gaara-san, isn't that what you said Sasuke?" The boy nodded.

"Either way, your mission wasn't to capture them," said Kakashi. "I only wanted you and Naruto to bring Sasuke back. Looks like you guys had other ideas though."

"Are we...in trouble?"

The jounin's eye crinkled in a smile. "You three spared the village from a monstrous attack. I suppose we can't be too upset with that. I might even be worthwhile to put a word in with the village officials because of what you all accomplished. It was very impressive work. Those hunters who were after Sasuke ended up getting taken care of anyway, so it all worked out."

"Hunters? W-What hunters?"

"I wasn't going to tell you," sighed Sasuke when her worried gaze met his. Why did Kakashi have to go and open his big mouth? "It wouldn't have done any good worrying you when you're still healing."

"What happened after I collapsed, Sasuke?" she pressed.

"A platoon of Sound ninja found you all," offered Kakashi. "Sasuke was able to hold them off, as exhausted as he was, until I made it to you."

"It must have been the same squad Naruto and I shook off before." The pinkette's eyes were hard on Sasuke's. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't need to know."

"I'm your teammate, of course I need to know. Especially when your safety's the issu-"

A wave of dry coughs interrupted her tirade. Her bandaged chest throbbed under the pressure of her flailing diaphragm. Fortunately the coughing spell passed shortly, after which she was greeted by a deliberate stare from Sasuke.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I think you know why. You've just proven my point."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Are you guys really arguing right now?" exasperated Naruto, having just joined them after leaving Iruka. "It's a _funeral_. Take it easy for once will yuh?"

Their eyes darted to their blonde teammate, his expression absent and glum as he stood with them. He had reprimanded them of their arguments countless times before, but it never felt bitter like this.

"Naruto?"

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan," he said after a pause. "I just...I don't know how to feel right now. I've never..."

He didn't need to finish his sentence for his team to understand. Of all of them, Naruto was the only one who had never lost someone he had been close to. Yes he grew up without parents, but he never really knew what it was like to miss something he once had. Until now anyway.

"It's okay to be sad or upset," said Kakashi, resting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "That's why we're here. Funerals provide a healthy environment for us to grieve. We dedicate time to mourn, so our hearts can heal faster."

"You mean until we forget them," answered Naruto bitterly. "Isn't that what it's about? We keep hurting until we forget the Old Man and all those other ninja who died. And everyone just moves on."

"One look at your teammates should tell you whether we simply forget the ones we've lost."

Naruto's eyes flickered over the two genin guiltily before they fell to the ground.

"I told you that mourning helps us heal faster," continued the jounin, "however there's no guarantee that we heal completely. The pain can remain for years, and sometimes it never goes away. But we cannot stop ourselves from living on and continuing through life."

"I know, sensei," said Naruto. "It's just...I'm sad that the Old Man's gone. Iruka-sensei tried talking to me about it, but I still feel sad. I don't know what to do."

"A lot of us have been feeling the same way," came a voice outside their group. Team 7 shifted to the brunette approaching them. "I didn't mean to intrude. It's a hard time for all of us, but that's why I'm here. The Konoha Twelve are gathering, to help each other through this."

"What are you talkin' about Tenten?"

"I'm talking about a vigil. We're all meeting back here in the Konoha Memorial Grounds tonight at eight. I'd really appreciate it if you guys came. W-Well take care now you three."

* * *

The rain had finally stopped, the sky clearing. It seemed to get over its sadness over his grandfather's death quickly enough. But for him, it wouldn't be that easy. And it shouldn't be. The Hokage was a great man after all, well-respected and well-liked. He deserved to be missed every second forever, and he would make sure that happened. Even if it meant sulking away in a tree while the rest of the world decided to carry on, that would be okay. He could do this every day if he had to.

"Konohamaru. Konohamaru, you need to get down here before you hurt yourself or something."

"Go away, Moegi," sniffled the boy crossly. "Just leave me alone. I wanna be away from everything."

"But you're not being reasonable," called the spectacled preschooler beside Moegi. "Reason would stand that sitting in a ten-foot tall tree doesn't constitute getting away from anything. All you really end up doing is risking you might break something."

"Who asked you, Udon? Just leave me alone, all of you."

"But Konohamaru, we don't like seeing you like this. Can you at least come down so we can talk?"

"Talking won't do a thing," he spat. "It won't make this pain go away, and it won't bring back Ojii-san."

"Don't be like that," pleaded Moegi, on the brink of tears herself. "Just get down here. We'll work through this together, Konohamaru. We want to help you."

The boy stubbornly maintained his position. He wanted to be left alone. Why couldn't they get that?

"Come to the Memorial Grounds tonight," said Udon, earning a double take from his female companion. "There's gonna to be a vigil and I want to go. I overheard some of the genin talking about it earlier."

"A vigil?" asked Konohamaru intriguingly. Moegi, however, did not share his fascination.

"Y-You want to go to a g-graveyard? And a-at night? Are you crazy, it'll be crawling with ghosts."

"My idol will be there, so we'll be okay. All of this year's genin are going."

"Naruto-niichan too?" asked the Third's grandson. "He'll be there?"

"I'd imagine, yeah."

"Well _I'm_ not coming. There's no way you'll see me waltzin' into a cemetery at night, no way, no way."

"Sakura-neechan will probably be there too, if both her teammates are going."

The girl froze at the name, giving Udon a despairing look at the injustice. It wasn't fair to use her admiration of the kunoichi to twist her arm. It's not like she bribed him with things by using Sasuke's name.

"I-I'll only go if Konohamaru comes too," she relented, both preschoolers looking up at the boy expectantly.

His dark eyes flitted from one to the other. So it was up to him to decide. His rival would be there, so it seemed liked the upright thing to do at least. Besides, the vigil was for the village deaths wasn't it? That included his grandfather.

"All right fine, I'll go. But first...just how the heck do I get down from here?"

* * *

The pink-haired genin sauntered through the blanket of black, guided through the ocean of gravestones by the radiating glow of her lantern. The funeral outfit she still donned didn't provide as much protection from the chilly night air as she had hoped, and the girl pulled at her sleeves as she made her way to the Third Hokage's stone.

"Thank goodness someone thought to bring some light," called a voice through the blackness she was approaching. Within a few more steps, the outlines of several people materialized before her.

Her emerald eyes scanned the faces around the tombstone. It seemed like almost everyone was already there.

"I'm not late am I?" she asked, tone dipped in worry.

"Relax," guffawed Kiba. "Though you're no Princess Punctual with that late-streak you've got going, we all just got here really early."

"I barely felt like eating today from all that's happened," said Chouji. "Me 'n Shikamaru just wandered over here before we even knew it."

"N-Naruto-kun got her f-first," added Hinata, stealing anxious glances at the solemn boy. Sakura joined her with concern of her own. This deflated attitude, and now coming early...it just wasn't Naruto.

"Only Tenten and Lee left," continued Ino, "now that we can actually tell who's here. Pretty genius to bring a lantern for this, Sakura. How'd you think of that?"

"Apart from the fact that we're doing this thing at night?" droned Shikamaru, earning a glare from his teammate.

Sakura moved to the center of the group, stopping in front of the gravestone. She procured a damp cloth from her pocket, kneeling to wipe the face of the monument delicately. "What are you doing all that for, Sakura-chan?"

"Y-You all don't do this too?" she asked, her hand hovering over the granite hesitantly before continuing. "It's just a custom I was taught. I-I guess no one really practices it here in Konoha." She finished shortly, offering a reverent bow and resting her flower before rising to her feet.

"What's it for?"

"Respect mainly. Gravestones are the final physical resting place a person has, so we view it as their dwelling, their home. As a sign of respect, we wipe the headstone and keep it clean, and bow to humbly accept permission to invade their space for a visit. I'm sorry, i-it's just something I've always done."

"It's an interesting tradition," said Neji, the pinkette eying him warily. He wasn't going to start something about her being an unwelcomed outcast again was he? She wouldn't try to control his feelings of distrust towards her because of her dual-village roots, but he could at least keep the funeral grounds free of their strife.

The Hyuga almost read her mind, his pearl eyes softening as best they could. "Thank you for sharing this with us, Sakura."

An amusing sort of perplexion leached into her expression as she watched him. She had heard how intense his match with Naruto had been in the finals, but had it changed him that much? Was he finally beginning to let go of this bitterness he had been harboring? Or was this simply the temporary sensitivity death usually intoxicated us with after someone's passing, before daily reality sobered us up again.

"Please, a-allow me to h-hold this for you, S-Sakura." Hinata moved to relieve the pinkette of her lamp, eyes downcast as she did so. "Y-You still appear i-injured." The Hyuga girl missed the smile Sakura offered her for the kindness.

"You guys got pretty beat up, didn'tcha?" barked Kiba. "You could pass for mummies in this graveyard with all the bandages everywhere."

"You talk too much," deadpanned Naruto. "My squad was busy savin' the village out there. And what were you doing?"

"The same. All of us were fightin' too you know, so don't feel special."

"It was all thanks to Shikamaru," chirped Ino. "He woke everyone up from the genjutsu, don't forget that."

"Only so we could all get the heck out of there," said the Nara, the roll of his eyes evident in his tone. "Neji was the noble one who decided to play hero and protect the sleeping villagers while the fight was going on. What a drag that was."

"Can't you get motivated about anything," reprimanded Ino. "You make our squad look bad."

"I thought it was neat," chimed Kiba. "I don't know about anyone else, but it felt good doing something that important for the village."

"There's still much left to do," added Shino. "I imagine we won't get much rest after today, with so many of our shinobi numbers having been depleted."

"We mustn't forget their sacrifice," agreed Neji. "And that is why we mourn tonight, and carry on in the morning."

Ino winced. "Maybe _after_ all the battle soreness goes away..."

"Wow, everyone made it," interrupted Tenten, joining the gathering with Rock Lee at her side. The boy on crutches greeted the group with a wave and a small smile. No one saw Lee very often these days, and Sakura hadn't even spoken to him since the time before his accident. She was happy to see him conscious for once, despite his physical condition being less than ideal.

"So now that it's the last of us, we can get started."

The still air absorbed Tenten's words as the genin's eyes wandered between each other. Sakura could have sworn she was hearing the chirping of crickets right now.

"Errr...is anyone going to be _saying_ anything?" deadpanned Ino after an unbearable period of silence.

"Yeah," agreed Naruto, "I mean, what exactly are we out here doing anyway?"

"Well we're having a vigil, a-aren't we?" said Tenten.

"But what do people do at one of these things?" asked Chouji.

"H-How am I supposed to know? I've never been to one."

"But it was _your _idea in the first place, Tenten," exasperated Kiba. "We've all been feeling awful all day. I thought this vigil thing was supposed to make the pain go away."

"I-It will. It's a chance for us to mourn together. Yuh know, the youngest ninja in Konoha banding together in a sort of symbolic sign that we'll carry on in place of the Third and everyone who was lost. It just...well it seemed like a good idea when I thought it."

"We're here," stated the Inuzuka. "Great. We're showin' the whole symbolism thing. But what do we _do_?"

"I don't know!"

"You called us here together. How on earth can you not-"

"I remember when I met him," came a serene voice through the yelling. It seemed to have a tranquilizing effect on them. Or perhaps they were desperately clambering onto some direction that finally looked definitive.

Sakura's gaze remained fixed on the Hokage's tombstone, continuing. "I didn't grow up knowing Hokage-sama like you guys did, so I distinctly remember the day I met him. It was right after I first arrived in Konoha. It was barely a couple weeks after my...after it happened. I had been crying. I was always crying back then. And when I was in his office, fighting back tears while all the officials just stared at me, he knelt down and gave me a hug.

"I think...I think it was the last time anyone had ever..._hugged_ me like that. You know, the type of hug that leaves you walking away a little lighter. And then he looked straight at me, told me it was okay to be sad, that I shouldn't fight or feel ashamed of my pain, because it was the thing that made us all the same. It made us human. He told me I wasn't wrong to miss my family, and that the best way to honor someone after their death is to remember what they taught you, what they left behind. Hold onto the good parts and celebrate their life, instead of focusing on their passing. That was the first thing Hokage-sama ever taught me."

The quiet that followed was far more reflective this time, the genin pondering the message.

"It does sound like somethin' the Old Man'd say," said Naruto with a hollow chuckle. "He was always lecturing some life lesson."

His mind flooded with so many memories of the Hokage, he was beyond words to begin. All the scolding he gave him, and the more amiable interactions he didn't have to demand for with pranks. He was the first person who ever saw him as a person, before Iruka took him under his wing. He was like a grandfather, in a sense. A grandfather, he remembered with amusement, who never could hold up against a blast of his Sexy jutsu.

"H-Hokage-sama encouraged me a-a lot when I was felt badly about m-myself," started Hinata. "He told me if I didn't feel like I had e-enough strength to stand on my own, I could look for inspiration from someone e-else." The girl's eyes darted shyly in another direction. "I could find a role model to emulate and help me b-be the person I want to be."

"I had the opposite problem," mused Tenten. "Tsunade-hime had always been my hero, and I wanted to be exactly like her. Hokage-sama reminded me it was great to have idols, but that I needed to adapt what I learn from them to myself and be me too."

"None of his talks with me were that gentle," said Shikamaru. "He was always yellin' at me about somethin' or other. And all I wanted to do was look up at the clouds."

Chouji sniggered in response. "I remember that. He used to say you were being a bad influence on me when I'd join you."

"Hokage-sama liked to drop in at the flower shop a lot," reminisced Ino. "I'd always ask what the occasion was, and he always answered with the exact same words – 'Life doesn't need an occasion for celebration. Life _is_ a celebration.' It made me laugh each time."

"Yeah, he always had a way 'o doin' that," agreed Kiba. "He'd share stories with me about my dad all the time, said I looked a lot like him. 'Ma never mentions him since he took off, but I always felt glad when I'd hear about him from the Old Man."

"I credit Hokage-sama for every success I've had as a ninja," said Lee, his voice not as passionate as it usually was but just as sincere. "He first introduced me to Guy-sensei and assigned me as his student. If not for him, I would have never learned what I have...and I have no regrets either."

The boy's words were a double-edged sword, slicing at two tragedies the chuunin exams had wrought. But Sakura was relieved to see his spirit hadn't changed. He was still Lee, gracious and resilient as ever.

"You three are awfully quiet," jabbed Kiba, forcing attention to the genin who had yet to speak. "Come on, Shino, we shared ours. You're always going on about wantin' to be a more integrated member of the group, aren't you?"

The insect-user directed his shaded eyes on his teammate. There was no way to read his hooded expression, but his next statement revealed enough of his sentiments. "Hokage-sama is the reason I am proud to be a part of the Aburame clan. At the age of five, I was injected with my first generation of parasitic insects. They invaded every corner inside my body, making the transition to host quite painful. I hated what was happening to me, but Hokage-sama explained to me the importance of my clan and its jutsu. He said I would always be safe now, with a small army now at my beck and call every living moment of my existence. And I felt comforted, despite the throws of pain I was forced to endure those months."

"...That was, uh, really nice, Shino," offered Kiba, though his smile looked pained. "You did good."

"Thank you," answered his teammate.

"Sasuke-kun, you too," chirped Ino.

"And Neji needs to go as well," nodded Tenten.

The two boys kept their arms folded firmly, their expressions flat as they glared at each other, the rivalry in their blood rising. Clan pride refused to allow either to display such vulnerable emotion before the other did.

"You're seriously not going to say anything," continued the brunette flatly.

"Hokage-sama was a righteous man," stated the Hyuga after a few more moments of stubborn silence. "He had a death befitting a shinobi of his caliber, and he will be greatly missed."

His female teammate sighed. "Leave it to Neji to play the role of mechanical diplomat, sheesh. Are you at least going to try to give a proper response, Sasuke? It's getting chilly out here."

"He was annoying," he answered simply. "He liked to poke around and check up on me. It was just annoying."

Sakura couldn't help smile to herself. Typical Sasuke. He'd keep his aloof bravado up until the end. She never understood why the thought of showing everyone what a nice and considerate guy he was seemed so unbearable to him.

"Thank you for all the memories, Hokage-sama," finished Tenten, her head bowed. "We'll never forget the lessons you've given us, and we'll do our best to protect the village in your place."

The pinkette watched the genin as they filed passed the gravestone, each placing a white flower to join hers atop the plate. Unlike the funeral, there were no more tears this time. It seemed they had all finally had enough of that.

"I do feel a bit better," commented Ino as they formed a group away from the Hokage's grave so everyone could finish paying their respects. "I'm glad you thought of this, Tenten."

"I told you it would work out. Hey, thanks for starting everyone off by the way. You saved my hide."

"O-Oh it was nothing," stammered Sakura.

"No way, you knew exactly what to say back there."

"I just...have experience with this kind of thing, that's all."

Ino regarded the girl sadly. She knew the statement wasn't meant to be taken as somberly as she had, but she couldn't help dwell on it. The lantern, and the grave-visiting custom she knew so well, and being so calm and sure through their apprehension about the vigil...Sakura did have experience with this. A lot of experience it seemed. The blonde couldn't help but picture the sobbing girl she had found in Sakura's memories, frozen in front of a tombstone on these very grounds. How often had she frequented these memorials?

Thuds and scuffling interrupted the girl's reverie, a horrific shriek ripping through her vocal cords when she registered fingers clawing at her legs. She practically leapt out of her skin, and literally hopped into Tenten's arms, cleanly knocking over both her and the pinkette standing next to her.

The soft earth was an unwelcomed pressure to Sakura's ribcage. Thankfully none of the girls landed on top of her, though Tenten wasn't so lucky, squirming beneath Ino.

"Why does this kind of thing always happen to me?" whimpered the pinkette as Sasuke pulled her to her feet. With a groan, Tenten lifted herself off as well, Ino pouring apologies over her as she dusted herself off.

"I swear I didn't mean it," she continued. "There were sounds. A-And something grabbed me right over there." The blonde pointed into the abyss of black, defeated moans whispering through. "This place is haunted!"

"Haunted? It's haunted?" A miniature body materialized in a catapult toward the light, slamming squarely into Sakura as she was plunged, once again, to the dirt. "Sakura-senpai, _please_ don't let the ghosts get me, please please please. I don't want my brains to get eaten."

"Moegi, those are _zombies_."

"This graveyard has zombies too? No. No. No. No. No. I'm too young to die!"

Whether from getting winded, her previous injuries, Moegi's vice-grip on her body or all of the above, but Sakura was finding it disturbingly difficult to breathe right about now. And difficult was quickly rising to impossible.

"Little girl," deadpanned Sasuke, "please stop suffocating my teammate."

The fleshy mass heaved off of her within seconds, and Sakura soon found herself gasping on her feet once again, the Uchiha at her side. "I-I'm okay," she wheezed, color finally returning to her face.

"Oh thank goodness!" Tiny arms clamped her sides yet again. "I was so worried! Now you can protect me from the zombies and ghosts."

"For the last time, this place isn't haunted," exasperated Udon, staggering to the eerie light with Konohamaru draped on his side. "They thought _we_ were the ghosts."

"That was really uncalled for," reprimanded Ino haughtily. "Going around scaring people like that."

"We weren't trying to scare anyone," explained Udon. "We were on our way to the Third Hokage's grave, but it was so dark. We kept tripping over headstones. Konohamaru hurt his ankle too."

"I'm not hurt," maintained the small boy. "It's just...a little sore right now." He shook off Udon promptly, hobbling passed the genin toward Naruto and Hinata, the only ninja remaining in front of the Hokage's grave.

"Guys, it's getting pretty cold out here," shivered Ino. "Now that everything's straightened out with these kids, we should get going don't you think?"

"But we can't leave just yet, Sakura-senpai," pleaded the child still clung to her hip. "We brought Konohamaru here to help him."

The pinkette's eyes flickered to the despairing girl before turning to the other genin imploringly.

"You guys head back," said Sasuke. "Take these kids with you. Sakura and I will stay here."

"You sure about that?" asked Kiba. "You're both not well."

"We'll be fine," assured Sakura before crouching to Moegi's level. "You've gotta get going all right? We'll handle things, don't worry."

"Okay, senpai. If you're sure. It was an honor seeing you again."

"But what are you going to do?" asked Udon, eyes on the Uchiha.

"It's all taken care of," said Sasuke. "I'll knock some sense into them yet. Get home safe, neighbor."

"You're Sasuke's neighbor?" asked Moegi incredulously. "You never mentioned that to us."

"How else would I know enough about him to be certain he was worthy to be my idol?"

Sakura glanced at her teammate in confusion, the ninja rolling his eyes in a 'you-don't-want-to-know' fashion. The group headed out soon after, leaving Sakura and Sasuke to their makeshift grief-counseling.

"Naruto, Konohamaru, a-are you..." A mundane 'are you okay' seemed so trivial. But the pinkette was at a loss for any other words. She never had to console anyone before.

"I miss Ojii-san," sniveled the young boy, tears in his eyes. "Why did he have to go?"

"It isn't fair," agreed Naruto. "He was the Hokage, the strongest ninja in the Hidden Leaf Village. He was a good person. Why did he have to be the one to die?"

"No one will ever know," offered Sakura. "You don't always find a reason for things. Sometimes life just...is. And there's nothing left to do but accept it."

"It still sucks," he spat. "All our training, all our work...and someone always ends up dying for no good reason. Haku didn't deserve it. And now the Old Man. Why does this keep happening?"

Sakura opened her mouth to speak but was silenced when Sasuke stepped toward the blonde. He stood directly between Naruto and the grave, forcing the blonde's solemn eyes to his. He stared at him blankly, almost supportively, under the warm glow of the lantern beside them. And with a raise of Sasuke's hand, Naruto was punched to the ground.

The blonde gaped up at his stoic teammate, hand cupping his throbbing cheek. But eventually, shock whipped into a storm of rage.

"Why the hell would you do that?" he roared, punching the floor. "You really think a graveyard is the right place to pick a fight? I'll stomp you here and now if that's what you want, just bring it."

"That's not what I want," answered Sasuke evenly, matching Naruto's glare with a flat one.

"So this was what, fun for you? Knock me down when I feel like this? You don't get it, Sasuke. You don't understand a single-"

"You're the one who doesn't understand," he barked back in reprimand. "You don't understand anything. Just look at yourself, pining away for the Hokage, rationalizing his death. Death isn't rational. Like Sakura said, reasons don't always exist to explain away our problems. And since when do you try to rationalize anything anyway? This isn't the Naruto I know. The real Naruto would know how to acknowledge the sacrifice of the leader he hopes to become like some day. He'd take his death in stride, mourn and move on because that's the type of person he is. He doesn't let things stop him from living. I don't know when you started to forget that."

The pair continued exchanging intense looks as the air whirled around them. They always had a palpable energy about them when they stared at each other like that. Sakura never really understood it, but she was growing concerned as her eyes flitted from on to the other. Were they going to fight out their rivalry right now?

"Thanks, Sasuke. I needed that." The rage in Naruto's eyes had dissipated as suddenly as it had been inspired, the Uchiha throwing him a smirk as he offered his hand to heave the boy back onto his feet. "That punch really knocked some sense into me."

"Happy to oblige. Just let me know if you ever need one again."

And just like that, they had made up and all was right with the world. Sakura awed at the confusing display before sighing in defeat. Boys...they never did make sense to her.

"It's gonna be all right," said Naruto, clapping a hand on Konohamaru. "The Old Man sacrificed a lot so we could be safe and happy right now, so we can't let him down. It's okay to be a little sad, but we also have to train even harder than ever, to protect what the Old Man left behind for us. Right?"

The small boy gawked up at the blonde hesitantly, nodding despite the frown marring his face.

"Will you be all right too, Hinata-san?" asked Sakura, noticing the girl still hadn't left through it all.

"O-Oh yes, I'm fine," she squeaked. "I just w-wanted to make sure that he...th-that everyone was okay b-before I left." Her cheeks appeared a bit flushed to Sakura, despite the cool air. But then, she had been carrying a hot lantern all this time. Perhaps it was just the heat on her face...

Within minutes they were at the gate to the memorial grounds, Hinata handing Sakura her lantern before they all parted ways, the flood of chilly air at the backs, their dried eyes only looking forward.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -


	20. Old Enemies and New Quests

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**RE-WRITE: 4/15/12**

* * *

_**Old Enemies and New Quests**_

He rested on the edge, fingers running through his drooping locks. By the glimmer of gold peering though his curtains, it was mid-morning. He was already late, but then everyone knew better than to expect otherwise from him.

The digits continued lacing into his tresses before snaking their way to the crook of his neck, a soothing pressure following. His heaving morphed into a slow exhale of relief, his tensed shoulders relaxing into the welcomed touch. He clamped onto it abruptly.

"I only thought you'd appreciate a massage," blew a whisper into his ear, fingers leaving his as they wound around his chest. "You're always so uptight. Loosen up a little."

"That's enough," he stated, suppressing all reaction to the soft pull of lips against his shoulder.

"We have time to play a little more..."

"We really don't." He extricated himself from her arms, slipping on his trousers before she got any more ideas. "I was on my way out when you got here. I have people to meet."

"The promotion ceremony's probably started by now," sighed the woman, climbing out of the warm sheets to get dressed herself.

"And I promised Sakura I'd be there with her before she went in," he added regretfully, tugging his shirt on. "Those types of situations usually get her a bit...anxious."

"Aw come on, she's a big girl, Kakashi. She certainly impressed us proctors enough to be one of only two gennin we recommended to become chuunin this year. You and Asuma should be proud, so sit tight 'n be happy for once."

"I am proud," he clarified. "But still...had it not been for Pakkun's testimony about the battle with the Sand genin, Sakura may not have received the promotion at all. He really does have it in for them."

"You talkin' about Kada Tarou, the head of the psych department aren't you. He's been cautioning against her promotion since the Hokage's funeral two weeks ago."

The silver-haired jounin nodded, eying the Team 7 photo which stood behind his bed. "He's been hindering them at every turn, from mission assignments to even taking the exam. At first I thought it had something to do with keeping the Nine-Tailed Fox safely in Konoha as long as possible. But wanting to stop Sakura's progression as well...it just doesn't add up. What game is he playing?"

"You sure you're not just takin' this too personally? You know, because of your history with him."

"What do you mean?"

"Tch don't play dumb with me," laughed the woman. "We've fought together for a long time. I know you blame him for what happened to-"

"That's enough, Anko," interjected Kakashi. "I'd rather we not talk about that."

"Yeah figured as much," she relented. "I mean, that is the nature of this thing we got goin' isn't it? Fast 'n loose. No emotional baggage attached, right? So let's get _un _-serious..."

The woman eased into him, her lips playfully meeting an ear lobe. "I really don't think we should," exhaled Kakashi.

"Oh but we do," she cooed between kisses. "I still have a bone to pick with you about your student. You seduced me into agreeing to train her for the exams and she went and rejected me. You're gonna have to make up for that one, Kakashi."

She was growing more aggressive in her advances, her fingers slipping under to meet the hot flesh beneath his shirt. His body remained still as her other hand glided through his hair, her fingers trailing to his face and down his chin. He seized her hand before her fingertips even managed to reach the end of his mask.

"No fair," she pouted, abandoning her advances. "All this time and we've never even shared a kiss."

"That's not true," he corrected, releasing her as she motioned away from him. "I have kissed you before."

"Not where it counted," she retorted. "Not on the lips."

"That kind of activity is a bit too intimate for this."

"Oh right, because all these years we haven't been doin' anything remotely intimate, huh?"

He continued gathering his gear. "I've expressed my feelings about that before, Anko. I want my first kiss to mean something, unless you actually do want to take this somewhere-"

"Hah no way, I'm smarter than that. Comfort is the only thing I'm in this for, plain and simple, from the first time it ever happened."

"Do you ever regret that it did?" asked Copy Ninja, staring squarely at her.

She shrugged with a grin. "Same old Kakashi, always guilty about something. Do yourself a favor and stop pining over the past, will 'ya? What's done is done. You didn't force me into anything. You're not responsible for a lot of the things you like to guilt over. Not about me, and not about Obito or Rin either. It's about time you saw that."

"I need to get going," he said curtly, strapping on his flak jacket. "You know how to let yourself out when you're ready."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"That was such a drag," droned the boy, strolling beside her. "I can't believe they made us sit through a whole lecture...why we were chosen, our responsibilities as chuunin, all that annoying stuff. I didn't even wanna be promoted in the first place. This is gonna be so much work."

"I-It won't be _so_ bad," offered Sakura. "I mean, I hope it isn't anyway."

Shikamaru eyed the pale girl in the corner of his vision. "Hey, you all right there? You don't look too good."

"I'm okay," she sighed, color slowly returning to her face. "There were just so many people in there, standing around looking at us. It was so...ugh I'm just glad it's over."

"So...you're _not _worried about being a chuunin."

"There's that too," she added dejectedly. "I hope I don't mess up."

"And I hope it won't be that much work."

"Shikamaru! Sakura! Hey we finally found you!" The yelling blonde skated to a halt before the two, beaming. "Congratulations! You made chuunin! I'm so jealous."

"Yeah, congrats to both of you," said Chouji, coming up behind the girl. "You must be so excited."

"I wouldn't put it that way," quipped Shikamaru.

"Oh be quiet," said Ino, shoving his shoulder. "This is a momentous occasion, and one that should be aptly celebrated."

"Why do I not like the sound of that?"

"Relax, Shikamaru," chuckled the Akimichi. "Her idea's actually really good. We're spending the day down at the river."

"Oh yeah? And what exactly are we gonna be doing there? Just splashin' around?"

"Tubing!" cried a voice in the distance. Before long, the group was joined by Team 8. "I got them all right here, all we gotta do is blow 'em up." The brown-haired boy presented a pile of deflated tubes draped over his arm.

"Great job, Kiba," chirped Ino. "This is going to be so much fun! You're welcomed to come too, Sakura. Your team's not doing anything today right?"

"O-Oh, um, no I don't think so. Naruto left Konoha a week ago so our team hasn't really been meeting up. I was supposed to see Kakashi-sensei earlier but he never showed. Probably ran late, knowing him."

"It's fate then," barked Kiba. "We're all in the same boat."

"K-Kurenai-sensei didn't show up to t-training today," explained Hinata. "She sent a message a-a little later cancelling all exercises for the d-day."

"Asuma-sensei bowed out like that too," said Chouji.

"Just imagine," gushed Ino, "they're both probably playing hooky to go on a romantic getaway together, just the two of them! How dreamy..."

"So none of us have seen our senseis today," pondered the pinkette, ignoring the starry look in Ino's eyes. "No one finds that a little weird?"

"You worry too much," said Kiba. "So come on, are you going or are you going?"

"Oh, I..." Her emerald eyes wandered about the eager group. It did sound like fun. Even if her teammates weren't with her, she had Kiba. But she couldn't suppress the pesky sensation that something was up. Where were Kakashi and the other jounin-senseis, and what had all of them so occupied?

"Sasuke-kun!" screeched Ino, brandishing her arm. "Sasuke-kun over here! Hey!"

Sakura's attention shifted to the raven-haired boy standing at Ichiraku's in the distance, apparently in deep conversation with the owner. Before long, he exited the ramen bar and scurried from the scene.

The blonde ceased her waving when the Uchiha darted out of sight. "Hm, he must not have noticed me."

"A deaf bat would notice you, Ino. He just didn't want to talk to you."

"Don't say that, Shikamaru, Sasuke-kun wouldn't do that on purpose. He's too considerate and sweet."

"And you're basing that on, what the fact that you think he's good-looking? Hate to burst your bubble, but looks have nothin' to do with how a person is on the inside."

"That's what unattractive people say-"

"Will you two quit your jabberin' already?" reprimanded Kiba. "Jeez you're givin' me and Akamaru a headache. Let's just get to the river." His response was chorused with a bark of affirmation.

"Y-You are coming, r-right?"

Sakura watched the shy Hyuga blankly, wrestling to a decision. Sasuke's behavior was the second thing that seemed odd that day. But perhaps he _had_ intentionally ignored Ino. It was no secret that he found her almost as annoying as Sakura did. On the other hand, what if it was something else?

"Don't back out just 'cause of him," said Kiba, bending to pet his pup with his free hand. "You haven't run away from him this time, so I figure today you can finally get to know Akamaru a little. He's really excited about it." The canine's tongue hung out in what Sakura could only interpret as a wide smile.

"I...I guess tubing could be fun. I don't have anything better to do anyway."

"Go home and get changed then," said Kiba with a smirk. "We'll meet you there."

"I can't wait," beamed Ino. "I've been dieting for weeks. I'm gonna look so hot in my new swimsuit."

"Are looks all you think about?" deadpanned Shikamaru.

"Maybe Team Guy would come with us," chimed Chouji, as the genin departed. "I think it would be a nice escape for all of us to..."

The pinkette watched their retreating backs before making her way home. The gurgle of anxiety inside her ebbed with bubbling excitement. She had never gone tubing before, but she could incorporate some practice with water jutsu if she got bored. It was close to perfect. Absolute perfection would be if her teammates were with her. But Naruto was away, and Sasuke was...

The splash of uneasiness gave a tiny gush. Where had Sasuke run off to in such a hurry? There seemed to be a hint of panic in his features when she saw him, but had she just imagined that?

"Whoa whoa, hey out of the way, out of the way!"

Sakura whirled to catch a hefty cart wheeling down the village highway, a middle-aged man earnestly hobbling after it.

"Move it!" he called to the innocent passersby. "Move it before yuh get run over!"

The pinkette suddenly found herself chasing after the runaway vehicle. She was faster than the man, managing to clamp onto the handle before digging her heels into the dirt. With some effort, the cart was finally brought to a halt.

"Phew what a lucky break," panted the man. "Thanks for the help miss...oh, Sakura. I shoulda recognized right away it was you."

"Teuchi-san," she responded, now realizing she was standing before the owner of Naruto's favorite ramen bar. "It was no trouble at all. I'm just glad no one got hurt."

"That's for certain. I was just leaving the shop to pick up a shipment of ramen I've been expecting. Next time you stop in, I'm treatin' yuh to a whole meal, on the house. I gotta get goin' though."

"Right," nodded the kunoichi, pausing before motioning toward the shop owner. "B-By the way, you were talking to Sasuke earlier, weren't you?"

"Oh yeah," he answered, heaving his cart along. "Yeah he was in, asked if I knew where Naruto was. It seemed real urgent."

"Really? Um, what did you tell him?"

"Only what I knew. Last I heard he was traveling around with Jiraiya-sama. Ikawa town was their first stop but they must be long gone by now. But like I told your friend, chances are they've reached Yagami Village. It's the only other place you can get to from Ikawa without turning around."

The Village Gate was in the direction Sasuke had raced off to. Was he going to find Naruto? Why was it so urgent? Exactly what was going on today?

Her rising panic abruptly disintegrated any shimmer of exhilaration she had left that morning, as she spun on her heels and fled from Konoha.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

This was bad. This was really _really_ bad.

That was all the cognition Naruto's mind afforded him as he was forced to watch this tall figure pummeling his teammate.

It all started when these two cloaked guys showed up at his hotel room, demanding he go with them. Of course, there was no way he was going to do that, no matter how ugly and uneven the blue man's teeth were. But try as he might, he couldn't fight back. With a glance of the other one's Sharingan (wasn't Sasuke the only person who was supposed to have that?) and his entire body went numb. Then a swing from the blue man's sword sucked all the chakra right out of him. These guys really knew how to fight dirty.

Sasuke arrived in time to stop them before the blue one hacked off his legs so he couldn't run away. His rival kept calling the other one – Itachi was his name – his brother. Since when did Sasuke have a brother anyway? And how was he so strong? With a few moves, he deflected a Chidori which blew a hole in the wall, battered the young Uchiha and broke his arm...and he looked like he wasn't even trying!

Ero-sennin (finally) appeared to stop the brawl, but it only seemed to deter the blue one. The sage was adamant in sticking close to Naruto, which meant Itachi had free reign to continue thrashing Sasuke to his heart's content. It was the sickest thing he ever saw. Sasuke was trying so hard, but his brother kept batting him to the side like he was nothing.

His rival made it to his feet yet again and launched a kick, which was easily caught by Itachi. In one fluid movement, he swung his little brother into the wall at the end of the hallway. The raven-haired boy rose to meet his sibling, throwing a punch which the rogue ninja sidestepped coolly, connecting a blow of his own into Sasuke's abdomen.

Crimson spewed from the genin's mouth under the intensity, his hunched form choking for air. With a knee to the jaw, blood scattered the air as his head whipped backwards. Following up, his assailant palmed him in the chest, propelling the young Uchiha into the concrete behind him once again.

Itachi stood tall before the slouched lump of flesh below him. "I should end your pathetic life here, little brother. You have yet to foster enough hatred to defeat me, and you never will."

Before managing to make another move on the broken boy, he gave a short leap away from the body, a barrage of shuriken zipping where he had just stood. "You've finally decided to reveal yourself," said Itachi, his monotone rivaling Sasuke's as he turned to the other side of the hallway. "Go away. This does not concern you."

The pink-haired girl glared at the stranger, boring through the blank Sharingan eyes facing her. Her courage waxed and waned as she watched him, refueling each time she spared a glance at Sasuke. "Like I've always told him, it is my concern. Any threat to my teammates is a threat to me."

"Ah, so you are the fourth member of this squad. How fortunate that I was able to meet all of you in only a day. But my time is short, and I must ask you to remove yourself before I am forced to take action."

"Sakura-chan," roared Naruto, his voice echoing around a corner of the hallway where she could not see. "Sakura-chan just stay away from him. You'll get hurt."

"You should listen to your friend. I would rather avoid an unnecessary fight."

"If you continue to go after them, it _will_ be necessary," said Sakura, taking a brave step forward. Naruto would have to forgive her of this later. "Leave them alone."

"And what will you do if I refuse?"

The kunoichi charged forward, kunai in hand. It was a brash assault, the cloaked ninja easily disarming the girl before striking her in the chest. She tumbled to the floor, her body exploding into a wave of water.

"So it was a water clone all along. Clever."

Itachi turned in time to catch the pinkette on the other end of the T-shaped hallway, torpedoing with chakra-enhanced speed toward him. Her crash-course seemed to be happening in slow motion, as she rotated herself in the air in preparation for a sweeping kick to his jaw.

Her intense emerald eyes connected to his passive Sharingan ones before her blow did, her heel slamming into Itachi's head, his body twirling down the other side of the hallway where her clone had been destroyed. She hastened toward Sasuke, huffing as she placed a hand on his shoulder. They needed to get him off the ground and away from this place pronto.

"Sasuke," she shook, forcing his eyes to hers. "Listen to me, we have to leave before-"

A bash to the jaw and Sakura crashed against the wooden ground. She swept the trail of crimson from her mouth, blearily struggling to her knees. What on earth had just happened? Had Itachi already risen from...?

A kick met her abdomen before she managed to raise her head, her arms grasping her body as she writhed against the floor. The kick was soon accompanied by more blows, and she desperately shielded herself from what she could. The abuse seemed go on for an eternity before she registered her battered body being lifted to a stance.

She was forced against a wall, nothing but the arm clamped on her collar supporting her. She could make out a pair of Sharingan eyes through her splotchy vision, but the face seemed more familiar than Itachi's. She'd seen this face countless times before, but at the same time it looked different. What were those black flames staining his features?

"You can't be..." her whisper caught in her throat, the chill of his hollow eyes freezing her gaze onto his. Not even her hazy vision could mistake that spiky raven hair, those framing bangs, and his Sharingan eyes were a dead giveaway. But this smirking figure who had just given her a thrashing, that couldn't be him?

"That look on your face is priceless," chuckled the boy – even his voice could pass for his. "So helpless and confused. You thought you could stop this?"

"No...you're not-"

A cuff to the face cut her off. "Don't even try to deny this, Sakura. It's really me. This is what I am." The figure delicately brushed the stray locks of pink from her blank eyes. She wanted to turn away. She didn't want a better look at this monster that had stolen her teammate's face.

"You aren't-"

Her sight was temporarily washed with white, her head reeling from the next cranial blow. "It _is_ me, it is. I am Uchiha Sasuke."

Lights danced through her vision as he hammered his knuckles against her cranium. She couldn't tell how long this exchange went on either, her head whipping back and forth in harmony with his fists. The white eventually faded out, her mind reentering reality. Her face felt hot and sticky. She could barely see out of one eye as he forced her vision to him with a hand propping her chin.

"You...aren't him," she rasped between pants. "He wouldn't...Sasuke wouldn't do this to me. He...could never..."

"You can't stop this," he said flatly. "My fate was sealed from the moment Itachi slaughtered my clan. The moment I was branded with this mark. Hatred is all I know now."

"No," she despaired, her searing tears building. "I don't believe that. You're more than this-this monster Orochimaru is trying to turn you into. You...you're kind. You care about people-"

She groaned against another blow to her face, her half-lidded gaze dropping to the floor. She couldn't handle much more of this. "Like I could take anything you say seriously," he hissed. "It's always the same flowery sentiments and no backbone. You want to save me so badly, yet you haven't fought back once since I started on you."

"I could never..." she gasped, "...hurt you. I just can't."

"Then you're weak. I'm wasting my time with you, just like always. You were never worth a thing to me."

"Funny thing is I don't even care. It doesn't matter if I don't mean anything to you. You and Naruto are the world to me. I don't know why..."

A wave of chirping crackled through the air, filling the space with an effervescent sting. "What I'm going to do next should be obvious."

The girl couldn't react to his threat, her body passively awaiting the fatal strike of his charging Chidori. It was ironic how this was going to turn out. She had desperately raced to Yagami Village to save her teammates, only to be slain by one.

Her numbed mind failed to notice Naruto's absence during this nightmare, or the three-tomoe Sharingan that replaced Sasuke's two-tomoe, or even his supposedly broken arm that now held a crackling ball of lightning chakra. No. Her psyche only had room from one fully formed thought. Even now, even in the end, it was the only thing she clung to.

"You can't be Sasuke..."

Her chest erupted in a fiery explosion of pain, an agonized shriek ripping the air as her body squirmed against her assailant's grip. The shaking hands clawing against his hold soon slackened, her world a spinning roulette before her vision at last arrested onto her captor.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Itachi released the girl and her legs gave way, her limp form slumping against the wall to the ground. Her body didn't hurt at all anymore, but the world was so hazy and slowed. Her head pounded with every heartbeat. It hurt to even think. Just staying conscious seated against a wall was mentally exhausting.

"What did you do to her?" breathed Sasuke, his widened eyes hovering over the broken girl beside him before whipping toward his brother. "Before she could hit you, you grabbed her. And then she was...she kept saying all these things. And she was crying. It was a genjutsu, wasn't it?"

"Ninja Art: Mind Destruction," stated Itachi. "It shows the victim a version of their worst nightmare, and apparently you were a part of that nightmare, little brother. A person under the thrall of this illusion typically repeats everything they say and experience within the genjutsu. You seem to have mistreated her there."

"Shut up," he gritted, his fingers scraping against timber.

"You are always so foolishly resistant to acknowledge reality. Whatever the circumstances of her illusion, it's clear you helped cause it."

"Shut up."

Itachi crouched before the girl, kunai at the ready. "This jutsu is quite the piece of work. It can go so far as to unhinge the mind and completely shatter one's spirit. You helped me do that to her."

Sasuke latched onto his brother's arm with his broken left hand, stopping his kunai while his good arm pressed against the floor, supporting an upward kick to Itachi's jaw. The older Uchiha released Sasuke's grip before retreating backwards to avoid the blow.

The genin suppressed a growl at the erupting pain along his broken hand, teeth grounded together as surging chakra whistled from his right palm. He launched himself at his brother, the rogue seizing his attacking hand just as easily as he had managed before. Itachi soon had the boy restrained against the wall behind him, the crackling energy dying away as quickly as it had surfaced.

"I don't recommend trying that again," he whispered into the boy's ear. "Concentrating such energy without the focus of a hand sign without practice not only decreases its power, but also causes physical damage to the user, as that odorous scent of your own burning flesh can attest to."

"Get away from me," hissed Sasuke, ignoring the radiating pain up his arms as he vainly struggled against his brother's hold.

"I'll do as you wish soon enough. As it turns out, for now my interest lies only in your little friend, Naruto. You still haven't earned the right to be worth my time, and I have already wasted enough of it on you."

"Naruto..." rasped Sakura on the ground, her expression still blank though she was fighting for alertness. She needed to hear this.

"My sole purpose in coming here was to capture your teammate," continued Itachi. "I merely decided to entertain your pathetic assaults on a whim. You're still too weak. It is time I showed you the difference between you and me. And that difference is the Mangekyo Sharingan...Tsukuyomi."

A second elapsed between them before shrill cries erupted through the hallway, Sasuke's body quivering under his brother's hold. The boys cries were like daggers, striking a cord so deep Sakura felt like her insides were about to rip apart. But she couldn't move. She couldn't do a thing. She failed to help him, and now Naruto would surely be next.

"Ninja Art: Toad Mouth Trap!"

Her surroundings suddenly felt cool and soft, almost spongy. At first, she couldn't trust what her slowed senses were registering, and her world was swallowed up in darkness before she realized she had been engulfed by the strange pink mass. Far away sounds of running, yelling, and an explosion vibrated through her body, but there was no sense to any of it.

And then light finally reentered her vision, the sponge-like substance releasing her from her cocoon. She was assailed by the sight of three blurs of color, the images gradually sharpening into a dull focus.

"We can't waste time with that now, Ero-sennin," said Naruto, "those guys are getting away. We have to go after them! I don't care if they have those weird black flames on their side."

"Easy now, just calm down," urged Jiraiya. "The Amaterasu is no laughing matter, kid, especially if it was able to eat through the belly of the toad. And in case you didn't realize it, they're after _you,_ Naruto. Racing after them isn't wise."

"Like I care about that! I have to make them pay for what they did to Sakura-chan and Sasuke!"

"I do admire your youthful battle spirit, I really do," said another man, Guy – when did he get there? – "but Jiraiya-sama is right. No point rushing in to a battle we aren't prepared for."

"But they..." A small tug on his jumpsuit fastened his eyes to the ground, the blonde crouching to hold the girl's hand. "Sakura-chan."

"Don't go," she breathed weakly. "P-Please, please you can't...you can't let them get you."

His grip on her hand tightened, his eyes locked onto her desperate gaze. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

"We have to get both of them to a hospital," said Jiraiya.

"Leave it to me," piped Guy, pulling Sasuke's unconscious form onto his back. "I'll get these two safely to Konoha." He extended a hand to Sakura.

"I'm not going," she answered, using Naruto and the wall to guide herself to her feet. "I want to go with you, Naruto."

"Y-You can't do that, Sakura-chan. I mean, you need to be in a hospital."

"It's true," agreed Guy. "As much as I admire the fire of your youth, you need your rest. It doesn't look like you were hit with the same jutsu as Sasuke or Kakashi, but you're still in no condition to be travelling around."

"These guys attacked Kakashi-sensei too?"

"Yes, they infiltrated the Leaf Village this morning. Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai tried their best to hold them off earlier but they escaped, and Itachi got Kakashi real bad. I followed they're trail after my students and the other rookies realized that Sasuke and Sakura went missing. Something about a trip to the river. But by the time I caught up, I guess I was too late."

"What happened to these two isn't your fault, Guy," assured the sannin. "I should have intervened earlier. But right now they need medical attention. _Both _of you."

"Please, let me go with you," pleaded Sakura. "I won't burden you. I'll be another companion on the road, an extra set of eyes, a-and I can cook too. Please, Jiraiya-sama. I can be useful, I promise. I'll-"

"Easy, kiddo, now just calm down. This is really important to you, isn't it?"

"Ero-sennin, you can't let her come. She'll get hurt."

"I imagine being stuck in Konoha just waiting around for our return would be even more stressful," surmised Jiraiya. "It's not my call to make so if she wants to come she can. Besides, who am I to turn down some home cooked food?"

"I can't believe you," growled Naruto, shooting his teacher a dirty look.

"Please don't be upset," offered Sakura, smiling weakly before abruptly collapsing into her teammate's arms. He frantically struggled to hold her before Jiraiya stepped in, cradling her body in his arms.

"I suppose we're all set then," said Guy, securing Sasuke on his back before heading out. "Take care of those two, Jiraiya-sama. And for the sake of our fallen comrades, please bring Tsunade-hime back to us."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bangs and yells sprung her to wakefulness, distorted figures wobbling through the corners of her vision. By the volume of the sunny room, she hazily realized she had awoken in the middle of an argument.

"Have you no respect? That's no way to treat you teacher."

"You're the one who keeps wastin' nights on your stupid research without even helping me. I had to wake you up somehow to show you I finished the first step."

"Exploding a water balloon over a person's face is not the proper method of waking someone up!"

"Ah who cares? I just wanted to find out what the second step of the Rasengan was."

"What's a Rasengan?" yawned Sakura, knuckles scraping her eyes as she stretched into a seating position.

"Sakura-chan, you're awake," exclaimed the blonde, earning a wince from his teammate.

"Where are we anyway?"

"A hotel room in Yagami Village," answered Jiraiya, getting off his cot to grab a face towel. "You've been asleep for over three days now."

"Yeah, I was worried you weren't gonna wake up. You weren't sleeping good at all. Mumbling in your sleep a-and stuff."

The pinkette turned from his anxious gaze. What had she been murmuring in her fitful slumber that had him so concerned?

"In any case, now that you're up, perhaps we can move on to the next village. It's clear that Tsunade isn't around here."

"So Tsunade-hime is the one you're journeying to find," said Sakura.

"Can this lady really fix up Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei? I mean, she's some kinda medical ninja right?"

"Hah, she ain't just a medical ninja, kid. She is the greatest healer in the entire ninja world. She'll get it done."

"W-What happened to Kakashi-sensei? Is he all right?"

"He will be," smiled Jiraiya. "Don't you worry your pretty little head over it."

"Cut it out, Ero-sennin," exclaimed Naruto, watching the older man's soft expression cagily. "She's my teammate, plus you're _way _too old. That's so gross!"

There was a blank pause before the Toad Sage snapped at his student heatedly. "You idiot, I didn't mean it that way! I would never- ...how could you even think that of me?"

"Not like you should be surprised, after all the time I've spent with you," he grunted. "I know what you're capable of. Lecherous old man."

"You know, I usually like to avoid performing violent acts in the presence of a woman, but I think I might just make an exception in your case." A shower of clangs and yelps rained about the space once again.

Maybe she should have rethought tagging along on this excursion after all...

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -


	21. Haunted Past

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**RE-WRITE: 4/15/12**

* * *

_**Haunted Past**_

Three weeks, four villages, sixteen taverns and countless casinos later and the group had yet to locate their target. Apart from the amusing spats between Jiraiya and Naruto, it had been a relatively uneventful journey.

"I don't wanna drink tea," groaned the blonde, reacting to the small teahouse they had just arrived at. "I know we've been walking all day trying to get to the next town, but this break's only interrupting my training. I'm so close to getting the second step down." The genin rolled the rubber ball in his hands back and forth atop the table. "I nearly exploded it last time. I know I can finish it today if I get enough practice in."

"Then by all means," sighed the sannin, accustomed to his pupil's impatience. "But no biscuits for you if you're not even going to sit with us."

The blonde was unperturbed, grinning from ear to ear as he raced out of the shack.

"That Naruto sure is an interesting guy isn't he?" he sniggered. "I've never met anyone with more guts than him."

Sakura's gaze lingered on the exit Naruto had just taken, her lips pursed to a line.

"Itachi won't attack him, not when we're so close by." The girl's eyes snapped to his, the man chuckling as he took a sip of the tea that had just been served. "The reason you were so adamant on coming with us, it's the same reason you two've been attached to the hip this whole trip. You want to be there in case they come after him again."

Sakura's fingers enclosed over the teacup before her, her head low. "I, I know I'll be next to useless if they showed up but it's just, I mean I..."

"You were worried about him," finished Jiraiya, smiling. "It looks like Naruto isn't the only one around here who's got guts. To willingly stand up to the Akatsuki for him...the kid's lucky to have a friend like you."

"I'm not that great," she exhaled, sipping her tea.

"You sure this trip isn't too much for you?" he asked casually, his narrowed eyes catching the shakiness of her cup as she pulled it to her lips. "You've been watching him train every day and night he's out there. I'm no medic, but pushing yourself so hard without allowing a resting period after that genjutsu probably isn't the best thing for you right now."

"I-I promise I'm fine," she stammered. "Really I am. I get plenty of rest just sitting around watching Naruto."

Jiraiya gave a sympathetic nod, dropping the topic. "The kid really is lucky," he murmured. "You know if you were up to full health, I wouldn't have minded teaching you a jutsu or two, Sakura."

The girl watched him blankly, failing to compute what he was saying right away. The great Toad Sage, Jiraiya, one of the legendary sannin – he couldn't have just offered to train _her_?

"Kakashi tells me you got a knack for water jutsu," he continued, fishing in his bag. "Quite rare for a ninja so young to already use nature-based techniques. And if I can't help cultivate that talent right away, this might keep you busy in the meantime." The man handed Sakura an aged roll of parchment. "That scroll contains a technique invented by the second Hokage himself. It may come in handy some day."

"You're really giving this to me? It's really mine?"

"This is but a piece of the legacy of the second Hokage. I know he would have wanted you to have it. Use it well."

She abruptly got to her feet, arching into a bow of gratitude. "Thank you, Jiraiya-sama. I'll take good care of it."

"I'm sure you will," he laughed. "Now let's finish up here and move on. Next stop, Tanzaku town."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Her breathing was ragged, fingers clawing against the grass beneath her as she faced the illusory foes of her slumber. The flashes of color and sound dissipated with a flicker of her eyelids, overhanging tree branches coming into view. She rested her palm on her forehead, reeling from the images that had just flitted out of her mind.

"You were having another nightmare weren't you, Sakura-chan."

She looked up at the figure seated next to her. So Naruto had been watching. "I don't really remember them after I wake up so it's no big deal."

"But it's been happening a lot, more than before it feels like. And they've been getting worse. You woke up screaming the other night."

"I'm fine," she maintained, sparing her friend a weak smile. "I used to get nightmares all the time when I was younger. This isn't new for me."

"But it's making you so _tired_."

"They'll go away eventually, just like they did before. I'm telling you I'm fine. You should focus more on your training, Naruto. I'm not here as a distraction."

"I guess," he sighed, flopping next to her beneath the tree. The late afternoon breeze was cool against his sweaty forehead as he inhaled deeply, stretching his aching muscles against the dirt. How long had it been since he relaxed like this? Was he wrong for wasting time in this way?

"I'm never gonna get this jutsu." He examined his shaky hand against the sky, burns etched onto his palms where he had been condensing his spinning ball of chakra. Completing the third and final step of the Rasengan was so near, and yet so beyond his reach. "We've been in Tanzaku for a week now and I still can't get it. My hands hurt all the time and I'm so exhausted. But I'm no closer to getting it. I just can't do it." His hand dropped to the ground between them, still twitching in discomfort.

"Does this help?" she asked, spreading her hand across his.

"Y-Yeah," he breathed, glancing at their linked hands as if needing confirmation for what was happening. "Yeah it helps a lot. You're real warm, b-but not in a painful kind of way or anything. It's a really nice way. My hand feels a lot less hurt now and-"

"You're rambling," she chuckled, gently tightening her hold on him. "And I'm glad. By the way, don't ever let me hear you talk about yourself like that. I don't like it when people lie."

"B-But I'm not..."

"Do you remember that fight with Gaara-san? You were absolutely incredible, taking him down and protecting all of us. Don't you know how much I admire you for that?"

"You, you really _admire_ me?"

"Of course I do," she answered matter-of-factly. "You did the impossible then, and you'll do it again. I can just feel how close you are to getting the Rasengan, Naruto. If there's any one person who can do this it's you."

"I really wish I could feel the same as you," he said after a pause. "I know I act like I'm so awesome and everything, but look what happened with that Itachi guy. I let him hurt you and Sasuke, and he was after me all along."

"You're really going to guilt about not taking down an S-ranked criminal?"

"You're one to talk about guilt trips, Sakura-chan," he grinned. "You feel guilty about everything."

"Doesn't mean you have to follow my bad example," she pouted. "I guilt about the necessary things. Itachi wasn't your fault."

The blonde exhaled slowly, eyes gliding shut. "I will get this jutsu down, believe it. And with it I'll make sure...I'll make sure he...never h-hurts...you...ever...agai- ..."

His words slurred into snores, Sakura suppressing a giggle before releasing his hand and sitting up. Naruto was never one to dwell on failure, always moving forward. It was something so intrinsically difficult for her to do. She couldn't let this intensive training shatter his spirit. She knew it was too precious for such a fate. And as she watched the ramen-loving ninja snoozing under the tree, she was struck with an idea for the perfect pick-me-up.

The girl rose to a stance before unsteadily grasping onto the trunk beside her. Her head pounded in a sharp explosion of pain, and she desperately pressed against her temple to soothe it. The mental wave dissipated as quickly as it had struck, her fingers immediately brushing above her upper lip, meeting blood.

She swept at the telltale crimson of her nosebleed, eyes nervously flickering to Naruto. She exhaled in relief, finding him still asleep. The girl had been lucky thus far. Her teammate was not the most observant person in the world, bless his heart, and she was able to keep her symptoms from his detection. But it was getting harder, her nosebleeds increasing in frequency over the last week.

After a few moments of deep breathing, the pinkette made her way to the center of Tanzaku. Her objective – find the best ramen in town and surprise Naruto with it.

The town center was like a beehive, the crowd bustling about under the dimming sky. Sakura used her small size to her advantage, squeezing through the filter of people. But she was also easily pushed back, shoved back and forth like a pinball. One particularly hard push knocked her cleanly off her feet, her fingers reflexively scraping against forest green cloth before her body finally plummeted to the ground.

She rubbed the side of her hip with a groan, emerald eyes scanning the mob surrounding her. Her would-be assailant was no place in sight. Her gaze strayed to the floor as she scrambled to her feet, grabbing two curious slips of paper from the ground. She examined the sheets in her hands, quickly realizing they were actually photographs. The same blonde woman stood in both photos, each with a different person – one with a young boy, and the other a young man.

The roughened edges of the pictures showed they were well worn. Someone – the blonde woman probably – had been freighting these with her for a long time it seemed. They must have meant a lot to her, like mementos.

Sakura's hands trailed to the small maroon pouch slung on her hip, giving its contents a tight squeeze. She knew how meaningful those kinds of objects were to a person. Gaara's letters had been lost to her after their battle, and she was not about to let someone else go through the same thing.

The pinkette abruptly abandoned her ramen-finding mission, racing through the crowds in search of this blonde woman with the ponytails.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It was an exhausting search, and after the first half hour Sakura was beginning to doubt she would ever find her illusive target. Just how far could a person she had just bumped into get anyway? She realized her trail was growing colder by the minute, as she marched down a less-crowded street to scan more of the spaces. As luck would have it, she spared a glance at the small hill just outside the village, spotting it at last.

It was a forest green coat, the kanji for gamble written in a red circle on the back.

The girl raced toward the hilltop before the blonde could evade her sights, gasping and yelling as she caught up to the woman. "Ma'am! Ma'am, hey wait!" Her body gave way and she was forced to halt her advance, head bowed as she held her knees, fighting for breath.

"What do you want, kid?" came a voice above her. "I don't have time for games."

Sakura presented the photographs without explanation, still huffing. The pictures soon left her hands, the woman gazing at the panting girl beneath her. "You ran all the way over here just to get these to me?"

"Well I thought they were important," she wheezed, straightening to face her. Their gazes locked, the woman's honey eyes frozen on the Leaf-nin. Sakura watched her curiously before recoiling, the sharp pain in her temple striking again.

"There you are! We've been lookin' all over for you! Where've you been?"

Sakura swept at the subsequent blood beneath her nose quickly before shifting her sights to the familiar boy dashing up the hill behind her, their white-haired travelling companion striding after him. "Naruto."

The man stopped in his tracks when he found them, eyes fixed on the woman, her shock mirroring his. "Tsunade! It's you!" He pointed dumbly. "You have any idea how long I've been trying to find you?"

"Jiraiya? What on earth are you doing here?"

"Like I said, I've been lookin' for you. Care to grab some dinner with us? We have some very important matters to discuss."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sakura awoke with a start, confusion blaring through her cloudy mind when she realized where she was. Her flailing nearly cost her a fall out of the tree she was cuddled in, bringing on more bewilderment. Why was she asleep outside, and in a tree no less?

The snarling which had alarmed her to wakefulness resounded again, drawing her gaze to the ground where a blonde boy lay sprawled across the dirt, the wreckage of branches and rocks littering his surroundings. She exhaled steadily, her awareness and memory sharpening.

Naruto was training all night and she had stayed out with him.

It appeared both of them had been claimed by sleep at some point during the night, evidenced by the snoring boy in the center of the field. He must have been training until sheer exhaustion wrested his consciousness. It was about time that happened too. This was the second consecutive night he had forgone sleep to master the Rasengan.

_And all because of that bet..._

Two nights ago marked the deal struck between Naruto and the wayward medical genius, Tsunade. It proved to be a catastrophic evening, beginning with Jiraiya's proclamation that the woman was selected to become Konoha's next Hokage. Her decline of the offer wasn't the worst of it, but the troubling sentiments that came after.

"_It's one thing to gamble for money. But risking your own life against all the odds to protect the village as Hokage? That's a sucker's bet not even I'm foolish enough to make. History is full of examples of Hokage that should have known better."_

"_Watch what you say, lady," seethed Naruto, his tensed body shaking in his seat._

"_All the Hokage are remembered with honor, Tsunade," said Jiraiya. "Do you realize what you're saying?"_

"_I'm tellin' it like it is," she sighed in indifference. "My grandfather and great uncle were both so willing to die for the sake of the village. And they did, yet Konoha is no safer than it ever was. Your own student, Minato, was a brilliant ninja but that didn't save him from dying young. And Sarutobi-sensei was worst of all, taking on Orochimaru at his old age. What did he expect would happen after that?"_

It was such a disappointment, witnessing how far such an admirable woman had fallen. She was the granddaughter of the First Hokage, and a renowned healer whose involvement in the Second Shinobi World War was paramount in Konoha's victory. Even Jiraiya seemed surprised at how the years had hardened his former teammate. But there was something else behind her cynicism, something about her statements Sakura could not place.

It was strange and unsettling, but then she had never heard anyone blatantly disrespecting a kage before, much less an entire line of them. Naruto had taken her declaration exponentially worse, catapulting himself over the table to "teach her a lesson."

His yelling culminated into a brawl outside the tavern between the two. Although the genin worked his hardest to defeat her, even chancing the use of his incomplete Rasengan, the sannin easily subdued him with no more than a finger as her only weapon of combat. That was when things got dicey.

"_One question before yuh pass out. What makes you so touchy about Hokage anyway?"_

_With Sakura's help, Naruto made it to his feet, huffing angrily. "Because unlike you, that's my goal. To be Hokage is my dream, and I won't stop until I do it."_

_The woman's blank gaze lingered on the boy, tsking shortly after. "You won't be able to master the Rasengan, and you certainly won't make it to Hokage. I can't believe you'd do this to a talentless kid, Jiraiya, filling his head with false hopes like that."_

"_I will become Hokage," yelled Naruto, forcing out of his teammate's hold. "Just you wait, I'll have that jutsu down flat in three days."_

"_Humph watch what you say kid, I might just hold you to it."_

"_Go ahead. I said it and I never go back on my word. That's my ninja way."_

"_All right then, I'll give you exactly one week to master that Rasengan of yours. If you win I'll admit I'm wrong and that you're worthy of being Hokage. And if you don't, you admit I was right."_

"_Tsunade," sighed Jiraiya, shaking his head, "what about my proposition? And healing those ninja in Konoha?"_

"_I gave you my answer on the first," she grunted. "I will not be Hokage. And I won't be healing anyone either. I haven't practiced medical ninjutsu in years and I'm not about to start."_

"_Then let's raise the stakes," said Naruto. "If you win, you gotta come with us to the Leaf Village too, and heal Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei."_

_The blonde woman smirked. "Well since you're giving me more to lose, if I win I'll also get all the money you have on you. How's that?"_

"_It's a bet," agreed the genin, turning on his heels._

"_Hey where are you going?" piped Sakura._

"_Training. If I'm gonna win I gotta get as much practice in as I can."_

"_B-But it's so late," she mumbled, looking to Jiraiya imploringly. He shrugged. Apparently there was nothing he could do. Sakura rested her pained gaze on the woman instead, their eyes meeting before the pinkette's eyes dipped to the ground._

"_Naruto, wait up! I'm coming with you!"_

It was hard, watching one of her best friends tear himself apart to win some silly wager. But she understood what he was fighting for – if he didn't win the bet, Sasuke and Kakashi would remain in their comatose states indefinitely. Naruto had been working himself like a pack mule trying to prevent that. But to master a jutsu the Fourth Hokage took three years to perfect – it seemed like a hopeless cause. Still, Naruto had never let her down before. Perhaps he really could pull through...assuming he didn't run himself to the grave first.

She wrapped herself tighter in the blanket covering her, shielding herself from the chilling midnight air. The perfumed scent she inhaled seized her attention. Someone had placed a blanket on her, and another on Naruto, at some point that night. She had assumed it was Jiraiya when she first noticed it, but the feminine aroma of the sheet...

Sakura closed her eyes, sniffing deeply into the fabric. The thing that came to mind first was her mother, but she didn't recognize it as her perfume. Perhaps it was similar. There had to be something linking the scents. But the question remained: who would have cared enough to blanket her and her teammate through the night? It had to have been a woman. Then again...Jiraiya did have an unhealthy fascination with the female species. Would it be that surprising for him to have blankets that smelled like them?

The girl shuddered under the covers, though this time it wasn't from the cold. At times, it really was best to just let sleeping dogs lie. So she curled beneath the covers without another thought on the scented blanket and reentered her world of sleep.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"I forgot how much of a bad influence you are on me," said Jiraiya, taking another swig of sake. "I only end up drinking this much when you're in town."

"Don't blame your indiscretions on me," she retorted, refilling his emptied cup. "You're the one who asked me to this tavern."

"Well I figured while the kids are out, mom and dad should capitalize on the opportunity. It would be irresponsible to drink in front of them, wouldn't you say?"

She kept her eyes on her drink, the din of the bar failing to overpower her swimming thoughts. "They've been out all these nights, haven't they? With his training."

"Naruto's only got three days left before he has to make good on your little wager. Gotta say, bettin' against a genin probably wasn't your finest moment."

"The kid asked for it." Tsunade slurped down another shot. "That night you found me, it felt like I was relivin' a day from my past, all the old faces comin' back all at once."

"Like Orochimaru." The woman stiffened at his words, but remained silent. "I know he was here, Tsunade, and I can only imagine it was to meet with you. What kind of deal is he trying to strike?"

The blonde poured herself another generous portion of sake.

"I urge you to think carefully before accepting anything he may offer. Remember the Hokage before you and all they've done to ensure the safety of the Leaf Village. Anything jeopardizing that would be a betrayal of them and all they've strived for. Hah, but what am I saying? You know all of this. If I thought for one moment you were capable of such a thing, I would stop you right here."

"He has nothing to do with me anymore," she hissed, "enough with the lecture. I still decline at Hokage."

Jiraiya eyed her beside him, sizing her up. "There was no one who cared more about the village or felt its pain more deeply than you. Am I expected to believe all of that is gone?"

She took another swig, a silent pause nestling between them.

"So many of the same old faces creeping up again," she continued wistfully. "With some new ones that aren't so new. Why did you have to bring them here?"

"They're a lot alike," he grinned. "They must be the same age, Naruto and Nawaki. Didn't your little brother want to be Hokage as well?"

"He was impatient, just like that dumb kid."

"Impatience can be a loveable quality," laughed Jiraiya. "Those boys kinda look alike too, though the resemblance between Sakura and her mother is uncanny, don't you think? I mean, save for the hair color."

Tsunade only traced her finger against the timber of the bar counter.

"Hmm, she certainly doesn't take after her in personality though," he mused. "Maya was a firecracker when she was young, as I would recall. Sakura is far too reserved."

"She's like her father then," she said finally. "I wasn't even aware she survived the civil war of Iwa."

"Well she did, had to grow up on her own in Konoha after that. And to think all this time, she could have had her-"

"Don't even breathe it, Jiraiya," snapped Tsunade. "I will have nothing to do with this child."

"You should at least use the short time we have left to get to know her. She's a good kid, Tsunade."

"Why did you even drag her out here in the first place? To make me more open to returning to the village? That's a low blow, using her like that."

"Oh, and what business is that of yours? I thought you didn't care about her."

"I-I don't," she gritted. "She isn't physically well. The girl belongs in a hospital, not on the road."

"I'm aware, though she's been doin' a pretty decent job of hiding it from Naruto. I'd bet she'd go to the ends of the world for that knucklehead."

"I could see it too, the way she looked at me after I clobbered him and he stormed off. It reminded me so much of Maya. But what does any of it matter anyway? She's dead, just Nawaki, just like Dan, just like all the others."

Glugging a shot of sake for the road, Tsunade rose from her barstool. She couldn't afford to entertain more of Jiraiya's reminiscing. He was always so apt at bringing up useless things from the past she stopped caring about, the intrusive oaf.

"She uses water-style jutsu too," he said offhandedly. "From what I hear, quite excellently in fact."

His statement froze her momentarily before she exhaled, continuing promptly out the bar.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The torches hissed against the dank underground corridors as he made his way to the rusted door. The agonizing roar of his master bounced through the walls once again, ushering him quicker still. His face did not betray the annoyance hidden beneath his blank mask as he entered, obligingly playing the role of personal nurse. It was what made him useful. For now it would have to do.

"I have prepared a new concoction, Orochimaru-sama. Perhaps this will help you fair better than the last."

The howling man inhaled the pills, downing a fountain of water until it spilled over his bed sheets. His bandaged arms continued to jitter as he ground his teeth against the burning.

"I can't do much more in such an old hideout. The facilities are far too outdated. You won't be able to continue for much longer like this, my Lord. Something must be done."

"Something is being done," he gritted. "Her week is almost up, and we will hear of Tsunade's decision in a day's time. If she wishes for me to bring back her lover and her little brother from the dead, she will heal my arms."

"Are you certain this course of action is wise, sir?" cautioned Kabuto, working on changing the dressings of his master's arms. "You were confident she would not turn down your deal, and I trust your judgment, but what of the appearance of Jiraiya? He is one of the sannin, like yourself. His presence is...an unfortunate complication."

"It will force us to play our hand differently," conceded the snake-summoner.

"Wouldn't the shrewder course of action be to escape now, before they decide to hunt us down? At the very least I'd have better equipment to work with. And I'm afraid in this weakened state, facing even one sannin could be disastrous."

"You worry she will turn on me," he concluded, almost in amusement. "Don't forget, I am the one person in the world who knows Tsunade best. I am aware of exactly how this will turn out, especially given her recently acquired company. As long as you are certain of what you saw, Kabuto."

"I am. There was no doubt about it."

"Then we forgo one for the other. Should we meet resistance, I trust you will be able to act accordingly."

"My skills are at your service, my Lord. But are you sure that's the same person they want?"

His snake-like pupils glinted in glee under the glow of the torches. "We have much preparations to make, Kabuto. Best not to waste any more time."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It was the night before his deadline, Naruto's last opportunity to master his jutsu. He had reduced his training area to unrecognizable ruin without much to show for it. He just couldn't get that ball of chakra to adequately condense while maintaining enough spin. It was impossible.

"You shouldn't keep going," said Sakura, heaving him to his feet after another collapse. "Please, Naruto. We'll find another way to help Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei."

"I won't stop," he panted. "I gotta keep goin'...gotta get this down."

"But..."

He rotated another orb of blue energy, charging for an already-mangled tree trunk. The pinkette exhaled, pinching the bridge of her nose as she retook her place on the margins of the plain. She had to placate this persistent migraine. Not even her nosebleeds relieved the pressure that kept building in her head these days.

"That boy isn't the only one who needs to quit this."

Sakura turned to the blonde woman coming behind her, fighting to keep her eyes to hers. "Please break this deal you have with him, Tsunade-hime, please. I, I know it's not my place to ask but he's ripping himself apart with all this training."

"And what about you?" she asked critically. "I can see it clear as day. Your condition is worsening, the aftereffects of a genjutsu I'd bet. It's a miracle you're still functional after having it go untreated for so long. You need to get to a hospital."

"I promise I will, but after all this is over and we get to Konoha."

"Just what exactly do you think you're accomplishing, sitting out here in the cold all week? You aren't doing a thing that would actually help him."

"I'm-I'm making sure he's safe."

"He chose to stay out here alone in the dark. You're wasting what little energy you have to be no more than a spectator of his foolishness. Be smart and go home."

Her teary emerald eyes drifted from the woman, resting on the huffing boy in the center of the field. "I know I can't do a lot. Staying out here, letting him know I'm there for him, it's such a small thing. As hard as I try, I can only do the small things."

"Finally you're seeing reason. It's time you got back to your hotel room."

The girl shook her head, turning back to the sannin. "Once you're doing all you can for someone important to you, it doesn't matter how big or small it is. The feelings behind them, the hard work you put in – that's what matters most."

Tsunade tsked. "An idealized notion from a child."

"The ideals of the woman I admire most," she corrected. "She may be dead, but I'll believe what she believed."

"Maya," whispered Tsunade, before rounding with another brash of statements. "What's the point of it all? She's long gone from this world, kid. "

"Just because a person dies doesn't mean their beliefs have to die with them," Sakura answered hotly. "I'll carry with me what my parents left behind. Going against that...it's just an insult to their memory."

"It's pointless," said Tsunade, almost defeatedly. "There's nothing left after a loved one passes. They're just dead, and everything good just falls away."

There it was again, that unsettling feeling. The sannin's words were striking the same anxious cord in Sakura that she could not place. Why was it back now? What could it possibly mean? It made her body feel so strange. The only feeling comparable to it was when she sensed a lie, but what she felt now wasn't as strong. It was almost an...an awkward halfway-point.

"Of course," said the pinkette, grinning through her revelation. "That was it all along."

"What are you talking about?" asked the blonde gruffly, brow raised in suspicion.

"All this time, what you said about the Hokage, about not caring about the village, about not having anything good after a person is gone...you don't really mean any of it do you."

Her eyebrows contorted together at her statement, eyes narrowed. "What do you know about my feelings?" she dared.

The girl took a shy step backwards. Adults were intimidating enough, but this medic was in a league of her own. She refused to remove her eyes from hers though. "It-It almost felt like you were lying the whole time, b-but not really. It was a half-lie, or...I don't know. I think you're just, well, maybe wondering what to believe? Or you don't truly buy what you're saying? Um..."

Her body tensed under the woman's penetrating gaze, though she couldn't discern her feelings. Did she feel insulted? Had Sakura just insulted the most renowned medic in the entire ninja world? She, a lowly genin...uh, no a chuunin. That's right she was a chuunin now. Recently made, not that that made much of a difference. She was still a pathetic novice in comparison. Why did she have to go and blurt that out? If the sannin wasn't going to kill her for it now then the panic-attack she was having certainly would. Her head already felt so heavy...

"Sakura."

The girl winced in preparation for what was to come, only to register a brush of cloth above her lip. Her eyelids slid open in time to catch the crimson painted on the handkerchief Tsunade had just used. She was having another nosebleed, but the swimming sensation in her head only seemed to worsen.

The girl clutched at her forehead, struggling to steady herself through her doubling vision. Her skin felt hot under her fingertips but she plowed through, leaning against a tree as the crashing wave of pressure ebbed away. With a few minutes of breathing and it was over, her migraine finally dispersing.

"I'm okay," she huffed, not daring to straighten her stance without the support of the tree. "The pain's all gone now."

"Only to come back later," warned the medic, "with increasing ferocity. It'll take more and more for your body to relieve the pressure before it just crumbles under it. Rest will at least delay that, until you get back to Konoha."

"I can't leave him," she maintained. "I'm sorry, but I just can't. If the Akatsuki show up, I have to-"

"To what? Spill your own blood on them? Even without your illness, you don't stand a chance against them."

"He's worth it. He's worth trying to protect. I'd lay down my life for that."

Tsunade watched the tired girl under her gaze, a small smirk stretching across her lips despite herself. That stubbornness, that burning need to protect someone precious – it was so nostalgically familiar.

"You take after her in more than just looks after all."

With a concentrated strike to her neck's pressure-point and Sakura collapsed into the woman's arms. She cradled the child to her chest, carrying her limp body to where it belonged.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The radiating green hummed through the dark room, almost like a lullaby as it rhythmically danced over the unconscious girl's forehead. Her practiced skill withstood the test of time even through its misuse, and she could sense the slow restoration of the girl's health. Her current actions should have come as no surprise given the identity of this child. Still, even she was amazed at how quickly she had relinquished her chakra's vow of medical silence.

The slender fingers pulled away shortly after, the healing energy fading after it had done its work. As the woman pulled the bed covers over the child, she sensed the approach of another.

"He collapsed too ay?"

The man sauntered to the next bed, resting the boy there. "It was only a matter of time I suppose. The kid's had it. He may not even wake up tomorrow to make good on your bet, or fail doing it anyway."

Tsunade didn't answer, tucking in the girl's sheets.

"I'd think you'd be a little happier, having your win being such a sure thing. Why so glum?"

"Who's glum," she answered dispassionately, making her way to the door.

"Tsunade, that was a good thing you did for her."

"Don't act like you weren't expecting it," she spat back. "As if I could leave Maya's only daughter to suffer like that. You can be really manipulative when you want to be. Don't think I don't realize that."

"It still felt good didn't it? Using your skills and gifts to help another person. I know you as well as you know me, remember that much."

"She seemed to know something too," relented Tsunade, her temper dying. "And that boy...I've been watching him train. His spirit is so much like Nawaki's. He believes so hard in all his dreams, even when he knows the odds are against him. Why did you have to bring those two here? It's making everything so difficult..."

"Are you rethinking your position as Hokage?"

She shook her head. "There's something even more pressing. Something that must be decided before tomorrow."

"Well don't beat around the bush, what is it?"

"Jiraiya, there's something I need to tell you...about an old friend of ours."

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -


	22. Pursuit

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**RE-WRITE: 4/15/12**

* * *

_**Pursuit**_

Sakura roused to wakefulness, a quick shower preparing her for the day. It came as no surprise, finding herself in her dim hotel room after her long week of absence. She knew Tsunade had carried her here after she knocked her out, but what of the blonde boy snoring in the bed beside hers? Had she forced him here as well?

With no sign of either sannin, and Naruto otherwise engaged with the back of his eyelids, the girl was left to her own devices that unusually quiet morning. She didn't know what she wanted but she knew it had to be outside. With a scribbled note on the counter, she was off.

The world seemed so vibrant and bright from the moment she stepped out the hotel. Not that the weather had changed any since their journey, but for the first time in weeks she could actually _feel_ it – the warm rays of gold spreading on her skin, the crisp breeze hugging her body in welcome as she jogged through a field on the outskirts of town. She soon found herself rolling in the greenery, inhaling the mixed scents of dewed grass, flowers and earth with each turn.

She could laugh at how silly she must have looked but she didn't care. The world was so alive today, or else she had been blinded to its wonders all this time. It was like she had been asleep all these weeks, her surroundings nothing but a foggy dream that whizzed by, a part of her yet separate, like she wasn't really there. But she was finally awake now. And the pressure, the pain, the lack of motivation to even move, it was all gone too.

It didn't take long, lying with her face to the sun, to understand what had happened to her. The reason she felt so different – she had been healed of Itachi's jutsu. The girl spared a whisper of thanks to the woman she knew responsible for it all. "Tsunade-hime."

"Wrong sannin, but you get two more guesses before I end our little game."

Her heart stopped, the icy tendrils of her veins freezing it in place. She whipped to her feet mechanically, gaping at the figure before her. She fisted her shaking palm. "Why are you…w-what at are you doing here?" she croaked.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" he sniggered. "I can't quite catch what you are saying, my dear."

"I said why are you here?" she half-yelled, though her courage was quickly deflating. She couldn't rip her gaze from those glassy yellow eyes long enough.

"Why? Well you are the only other person standing in this desolate field. You can't fathom the reason I've come here?"

The girl stared at him in a terrified daze, her mind numb. Flashes of his past self were distracting her – images in the Forest of Death, his predatory eyes, the bloodlust, the fascination with pain, and the hunger of possessing...

"You're after Sasuke," she stated, as if clinging to facts would help her hold on. "He's the one you want."

"There are many things I want, little one," he hissed, fangs peaking past his lips in a grin.

"You're coming with us, Sakura," said the spectacled man beside him. She hadn't even noticed he was there. And why did this grey-haired ninja look so familiar? "It would be easiest for you if you didn't try to resist."

"I-I won't make for good bait for him. Sasuke isn't even anywhere near here."

"The Sharingan is only one of the many things I covet," maintained snake-sannin. "Now come with us before you force Kabuto to get violent. I'm sure he wouldn't like that."

Her heart was sinking further and further into her gut as his words belted her with the weight of her situation. Orochimaru – Konoha's most-wanted rogue ninja who, now that she wasn't fixated on his murderous snake-like eyes, she could tell didn't look too well – was trying to kidnap her. And his accomplice, he was Yakushi Kabuto, one of the genin who participated in the chuunin exams with her. He was in league with the sannin all along?

"What are you going to do with me?" she all but whispered, a tear escaping down her pale face before she could stop it.

"There's no need for that, Sakura-chan," cooed the snake-summoner. "You need not fear us. We aren't planning to hurt you-"

"Step away from her right now!" shrieked a voice behind them, the patter of feet accompanying it. Before she could tear her eyes from the two rogues, Sakura was whisked backward, the forms of two people now between her and the enemy.

"You're gonna be okay," gritted the boy beside her, his steely gaze anchored on the snake-sannin. "They're not gonna get away with this, I promise."

"Why if it isn't Naruto," greeted Kabuto. "I don't think a talentless genin like you is in any position to be making a promise like that."

"It's not your place to talk anyway, kid," snapped Tsunade, her protective stance widening over the young ninja. "What are you doing here, Orochimaru? Were you planning to go back on our deal from the beginning?"

"You aren't one to speak of betrayal, old friend," sneered the sannin. "From the moment Kabuto spotted you with Jiraiya and those two children I knew you would renege our agreement. I was forced to make other arrangements."

"Like sending mud clones to our meeting this morning? Did you really expect an attempt like that to kill me?"

"Oh not at all, especially when you had that fool to assist you." Orochimaru's eyes flickered to the white-haired sannin, meeting his hardened gaze. "It was intended to stall you, while I abducted the girl. I hadn't anticipated you would find us so quickly."

"That's 'cause they went to our hotel room first," piped Naruto, rising from his crouched position near Sakura to stand on the frontline. "I couldn't tell 'em where she was, but Sakura-chan left a note saying she'd be around here. Bet 'ya didn't count on that one."

"We calculated for this as well," said Kabuto. "Now why don't you just sit back down next to Sakura and leave this to the grown-ups. She doesn't look too well."

The blonde turned to his teammate, registering her frozen expression, her gaze fixed only on Orochimaru. The girl was shaken to her core. Before he could snap back at the traitorous ninja, Naruto found himself harshly shoved to the floor. "Get her out of here," ordered Tsunade. "I don't know what game they're playing but they cannot hurt Sakura."

"I believe I made it clear that I have no intention of hurting the girl, Tsunade," said the snake-user, almost wounded. "But if you weren't going to heal my arms from Sarutobi-sensei's accursed jutsu, I needed to find someone else who could."

"What are you paying at here?" said Jiraiya. "The child doesn't know medical jutsu."

"There are other ways a person can be healed by another. What I'm after is flowing inside our little Sakura-chan right now, that delicious red elixir. I just need to drain enough of it."

"M-My..." squeaked the pinkette. "...you want...you want my..."

"I promise it wouldn't be enough to kill you, not if we bleed you over an extended timeframe. And while I've got you, I'd be more than happy to take you in. You'd be like a daughter to me."

The earth crumbled apart under the blonde woman's heel, the debris doing nothing to hinder her assault on the snake-sannin in her murderous rage. Kabuto quickly stepped in to defend his master, and Jiraiya knew he needed to act soon himself.

"Listen to me, Naruto," urged the sage. "Tsunade was right, take Sakura and get out of here. She can't stay here."

"No I wanna help you guys beat him and make sure he can't get to Sakura-chan. I can help!"

"You haven't completed the Rasengan yet," he answered calculatingly. "And besides...just look at her."

True to the man's warning, the pinkette appeared degrees worse, her knees rooted to the ground, her body trembling like a leaf. Naruto held her shoulder but as far as he could tell she was in her own world of terror right now.

"Putting some distance between her and Orochimaru would be the best thing for her right now. Unless you don't mind fighting while you leave her like this."

"You know I wouldn't do that. You win, Ero-sennin, just take out that creep for good." The blonde forced his teammate to her feet, towing along her languid form out of the barren field and toward town.

"You let my prey escape me, Jiraiya," called Orochimaru, side-stepping Kabuto's brawl with the blonde medic and lashing his tongue at the sage.

He retaliated with a fire-style jutsu, forcing the wad of flesh back into the man's mouth. "It's time we finish this, old friend."

"I couldn't have said it better," grunted Tsunade, evading Kabuto's chakra scalpels with finesse. "Today the name of the Legendary Sannin dies!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It took about five minutes of racing through the center of town before enough fear left her, the tightening grip on his hand alerting him that her senses had returned. He arrested their movement on a rooftop to examine her. "Sakura-chan?"

"I'm good," she croaked, rumbling to clear her drying throat. She tried to ignore the acid sting in her stomach, to cast aside the aching lump in her fluttering heart, the breathlessness. "I'm okay. I'm so sorry for this, Naruto. I just..."

"Forget about it, Sakura-chan," he smiled, "that guy's a total creep. You did great."

"No I didn't, I was so useless," she reproached. "Next time I'll do better. I _need_ to do better, there's just something about...Naruto, he really scares me. I'm sorry."

"Stop saying you're sorry already. Nothin' bad happened, and you're gonna be fine I promise. I won't let anyone get to you. I made you a promise and I never go back on my word."

How could he be so certain? How did those orbs of cerulean carry so much light confidence in his words? Was it really that simple, to dismiss that filthy feeling of being hunted like an animal and trust everything would work out? But then, he was being pursued by the Akatsuki himself. If Naruto could navigate through that feeling with such courage, couldn't she?

"I'll try to believe you," she relented. "I mean, you never let me down yet right?"

"And I never will," he cheered, grinning widely. It was enough to coax a small smile out of her. Uzumaki Naruto...even when she couldn't fathom it, he always managed to make a situation lighter somehow.

"We should keep goin' though," continued the blonde. "The farther away we get from that guy the better." The boy turned on his heel, meeting a kunai in his path before he could start forward, the weapon freezing them both in place. And they knew they had been caught.

"Listen up you slimy snake," roared Naruto, their eyes whirling about the space to find their attacker, "I don't care how tough you are. You're not gonna lay a finger on-"

The genin's voice was drowned in shock as the two Leaf ninja gaped at the figure before them, his Sharingan eyes matching theirs blankly. There, on an adjacent rooftop, clad in a dark robe peppered with red clouds, stood the other S-ranked criminal who hailed from the Hidden Leaf.

"Uchiha Itachi," breathed Sakura. "This can't be happening."

"My time is short," began the rogue curtly, "so I'd prefer that we skip over unnecessary pleasantries. You both know why I'm here, and you are also aware that your protectors are otherwise engaged. Fighting me would be pointless. Come with me, Naruto, before you force me to hurt your friend again."

Sakura bit her lip, emerald eyes peering at the tensed boy beside her. It was easy to anticipate his thoughts. He didn't want to be the cause of anymore damage, and he would never force her into a fight they had no hope of winning. But it was never in his nature to back down from an opponent either.

"Get out of here, Sakura-chan," said the blonde, stepping forward. "I'll hold him off as long as I can and catch up to you."

"And you really think I would do that. You really expect me to leave you behind."

"You're not getting hurt again 'cause of me. Just please listen to me, just this once?"

He could not hide the desperation in his voice, the fear. But unlike with Orochimaru, she wasn't the one being sought after. She wasn't the prey here, he was. Naruto wasn't the one who was supposed to be afraid for her safety. It wasn't his place to protect her this time. It was hers. "I'm so sorry, Naruto..."

The smoke bomb detonated from her hands before he could read her expression, the black fog enveloping the three ninja. "Shadow clones," she ordered, performing her own transformation jutsu before clamping onto his shoulder so she didn't lose him.

Within seconds, scores of Naruto clones exploded from the smog, budding off in pairs as they darted toward every direction. "If you want me, you gotta find me first, Itachi!" they all chorused.

Sakura couldn't help but wonder how long this rouse would work, as she made her escape alongside the real Naruto, her body transformed into his exact image so she wouldn't give their position away. With shadow clones, chakra is evenly distributed amongst every replica so that neither the Sharingan nor Byakugan can distinguish between them. But would it be enough to outwit the infamous Uchiha Itachi? She sure as hell hoped so.

"I don't see him anywhere," panted Naruto as they raced across a rooftop on the other end of town. "We really gave him the slip with that one."

"We shouldn't be talking," replied a transformed Sakura. "And we're not stopping. The further away we get from him the better I say."

"It isn't too late for us to split up." The pinkette stared at her teammate flatly. "What I'm serious. You gave me a chance to get away with that move. But sticking around me is dangerous."

"I changed my mind," sighed Sakura. "It's not us that shouldn't be talking. Just you."

Before the boy could round on her with a retort, their rooftop exploded with a bang, the shockwaves hurtling their bodies in opposite directions off the building.

The Leaf chuunin crashed into a bed of wood, losing her transformation in a puff of smoke as she impacted the crates. She pulled her throbbing body out of the wreckage, wincing as she dislodged a flake of timber from her arm. She heaved herself to a stance, eyes scanning the area for her teammate. There was no doubt that Itachi had found them, and she needed to get to the blonde soon.

She clambered onto the remnants of the building they had been thrown off of, her eyes greeted by the sight of Naruto's one-sided battle with the missing-nin in the square just beyond her. The Sharingan-user looked almost bored as he swatted every maneuver the blonde attempted. Even with a surprise attack from her – which seemed an impossible feat against Itachi in and of itself – their odds of victory were in the negative range.

Sakura gripped her fist tightly. She had to stay focused. Her objective didn't have to involve defeating Itachi, just stalling him until the two sannin found them. She would just have to keep Naruto in the town until then.

With her fingers holding her seal, the chuunin zeroed in on the tank of water behind her, resonating her energies with the liquid. "Water Style: Water Vortex jutsu."

Fluid tunneled from the barrel, the vortex charging over the building and toward the Uchiha just as he palmed Naruto into the dirt. The water current crumbled seconds before collision, the brunt of the attack disintegrating to vapor while the rest collapsed to the ground. It was undoubtedly the result of a fire style jutsu, and now Sakura's location was compromised.

"For your sake, I hoped you had taken the opportunity of your separation to escape," commented Itachi, as the pinkette joined them inside the square. "I will afford you one more chance to flee, after which I will be forced to dispose of you."

Sakura continued glaring at him. Although Itachi didn't incite as much fear in her as Orochimaru, hopelessness still managed to nestle itself in her heart and she fought to steel herself against it. He thwarted her first attack, but it still allowed a fraction of the desired result. The ground had a fresh layer of water. She could still employ that water for a surprise assault, though she doubted she could do more than create a single water clone with such a meager amount. But it was something at least...

A clap on the opposite end of the square wrested her attention, the girl eying her bruised teammate with mild confusion. He nodded to her and began swirling his index finger around like a whirlpool in his left palm, before suddenly fisting his hand into his palm. Noticing her non-reaction, he repeated his signal, looking at her imploringly.

She guessed he wanted to spin something and slam it into their opponent. Her first consideration was perhaps he wanted her to try the Water Vortex jutsu again, but it was clear that wouldn't work. The only other technique that swirled the way he was describing was...

"Are you children finished plotting your war games?" interrupted Itachi. "I believe I've indulged your antics long enough."

"I swear, all you Uchiha are the same," said Naruto. "Always acting so high-and-mighty like you're better than everyone else. But you're not the only ones who can pull off awesome jutsu and I'm gonna prove it." A shadow clone materialized beside the blonde, its hands hovering over the real Naruto's outstretched palm, rotating the orb of blue chakra swirling within it.

Itachi instantly recognized the forming ball of chakra, motioning to evade the blow before the boy could launch his attack. His legs did not respond, his feet firmly anchored in place despite his pulls. They had been ensnared by ropes of water. His eyes instantly shifted to Sakura, the kunoichi's expression strained in effort. She was manipulating the water she had gathered earlier. So this was their strategy...

"This one's for Sasuke," yelled Naruto, rushing toward the missing-nin with a fully defined whirlpool of chakra in hand. "Rasengan!"

Sakura released her hold of Itachi as the blue chakra ball connected, the force of the blow tearing through his chest before rocketing Itachi into the wall behind him, the concrete cracking under the pressure. The pair of Leaf ninja eyed the still lump of flesh amidst the rubble cagily, not daring to approach too close.

"I think we did it," panted Naruto, turning on his teammate. "We really did it, Sakura-chan. We floored Itachi."

"I-I'm not too sure," she remarked hesitantly, her eyes roaming their surroundings rather than the unconscious body. "It was just too easy."

"What do you mean easy? You know how hard I worked on that jutsu, and it's finally paid off! You should be celebrating with me, Sakura-chan."

He grinned widely at her, cajoling that smile out of her that only he could. She rolled her eyes before leaping into his arms, hugging his body to hers, releasing all the fear and anxiety she had been freighting throughout their escape. "I'm so happy you're safe," she whispered.

His cheeks burned uncomfortably but he didn't pull away from her until she did, moving so she could look him in the face. He could feel himself melting into the evergreen forest of her eyes, basking in their warmth, allowing them to wash him in her goodness. She ruled his world from the moment he saw her, and he blamed those jade orbs for it. Now that they were on the same team, he was used to using every opportunity he could spare to appreciate them, but this moment felt different somehow. Because for the first time, she seemed to be doing the same with him.

"Naruto..."

He cupped her cheek, guiding her face toward his before she parted her lips...and then he noticed it. The way her fingers dug into his arms, the trail of crimson trickling from the side of her mouth.

"Sakura-chan?" She collapsed against him as he cradled her to the floor, gripping her tightly while pressing against the pool of blood gushing from her chest. "Sakura-chan! N-No, please Sakura-chan, you can't..."

His cries stifled to sobs as he shook her body, coaxing her half-lidded eyes open. "Don't die! You can't die, okay? Just-just stay with us. Stay!"

Color was quickly draining from her, her rosy cheeks dulling pallid, her body losing warmth, her focused gaze growing blank until the last glimmers of light died away into nothing. Her lifeless eyes remained frozen on the boy as he screamed at her to awaken. But she wouldn't acknowledge him. She couldn't acknowledge him. And for the first time, staring into the acrid green of her eyes tumbled him into a fiery pit of discord, the furnace within consuming him in its self-destructive blaze.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

He was gasping on his back, registering three bodies through the glowing green mist of chakra above him. "Don't get up until I tell you," commanded the woman. "I'm dispelling the remnants of Itachi's genjutsu."

"I was under a genjutsu? When? When did it happen?" The boy shot to his feet in an instant, hazily scanning the town square. A pair of hands found his before he became too frantic.

"I'm here," assured the girl. "Naruto it's me. I'm here, I'm fine. None of it was real."

"Sakura-chan," he exhaled, searching her eyes just to be sure. "But...it really felt like it was happening. Are you sure you're okay?"

She nodded with a smile. "Itachi caught you in his genjutsu before your Rasengan could connect. Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama showed up just in time to scare him off. He was going to take you away while you were stuck in his jutsu."

"Oh. Well good then. And what about Orochimaru?"

"Gone," tsked Tsunade. "Hoshigaki Kisame appeared to stall us while Itachi made his move, and Orochimaru and his medic used the chance to slip away."

"He doesn't usually like to interfere with the Akatsuki's dealings," added Jiraiya. "I doubt Orochimaru will be coming near us any time soon. You're safe, Sakura."

"But will _you_ be all right," maintained the pinkette, hand still clasped to Naruto's. The boy looked weary, whether from his week of training, the battle, the genjutsu or all the screaming while under its thrall...

"I'll be fine, Sakura-chan." He forced a grin for emphasis. "Tsunade-baachan fixed me up, and you're not hurt, and I mastered my Rasengan. Everything's okay."

She was unconvinced, noting how tightly he was still clinging to her, but she dropped the subject. "So...what do we do now?"

"Well Tsunade here has to pay up on her bet," chimed Jiraiya, smirking in her direction. "The kid completed the Rasengan, meaning you my friend are heading back to Konoha with us."

"To heal your ninja," she reminded. "You're still out of luck about finding a Hokage."

"Ah maybe you'll change your mind once we get there. Otherwise, at the very least Kakashi will be well enough to take up the position. He was the first recommended after you 'n me. For now we rest up and head out first thing tomorrow."

It was their cue to leave the battle area, but Sakura and Naruto remained where they were. The day had brought so much on them, the weight of it reflected in each other's eyes as they looked at each other. Sakura had always been wary about Orochimaru, for Sasuke's sake. But his recent interest in her drove a spike through any resolve she could scramble together to face him. And Naruto, wanted by the Akatsuki for reasons unknown to her, had toiled to perfect an A-rank technique that still proved useless against the organization. The consequence of this was being forced to experience his worst nightmare imaginable. And it made her feel just a little guilty, knowing his greatest fear involved her.

"We'll be okay," said Naruto at last, nodding to himself as if to confirm he actually believed it too. "We'll really be okay. Because you're still..." He couldn't finish, but then he didn't need to.

"We still have each other," she offered, his warm strength encouraging a smile. "And we'll have Sasuke too, as soon as we get back to him. We'll be okay."

They continued out the square without another word, the sannin in tow as they made their way to the hotel. The blonde woman watched them with a hint of melancholy, sympathizing with these two young children who were forced to endure such hardships, all because of the circumstances of their births.

"Having a change of heart yet?" whispered Jiraiya beside her.

"No," she said gruffly, turning away from him. "Why should any of it matter to me at all?"

The Toad Sage only shook his head knowingly. Before their mission's completion, Tsunade would become their Hokage. Of that he was certain.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

They had set out for the Hidden Leaf the next morning, projecting to arrive the following afternoon. The group made a stop near one of the shrines in the area to rest. Against Naruto's objection, Jiraiya took the young genin inside to introduce him to the pottery work and other artifacts in an effort to "refine" his student a little. "After all, the mind should be as sharp as the body is strong" he said. Deciding she would prefer to stay outside and that there was "no way in hell" she was going to step half a foot in some old shrine, Tsunade sat under a tree and waited for the two to return, with Sakura assigned to keep her company.

There was a heavy silence at first, Sakura continuously side-glancing at the blonde sannin and suddenly turning away. After about the tenth time, Tsunade spoke. "Sakura, is there something you'd like to say to me?"

"W-what?" she choked. "W-well, um, no not exactly."

"A question then."

"It's not important," she blurted, keeping her eyes on the green grass below her.

The blonde exhaled, reaching her hand to the girl's face, forcing her chin up. "We'll try this again...yes, Sakura, is there something you'd like to tell me?"

The pinkette stared blankly into the sannin's gorgeous orbs of almond, swallowing. "Y-You put out those blankets for me and Naruto, those nights he was training."

Understanding crept into the woman's expression as she released her hold on Sakura. "And what makes you say that?"

"They smell like you. I couldn't put it together until that night you carried me home. I was half-conscious in between, and you smelled just like the blankets. I just wondered why."

"You were ill," she answered simply. "And the boy was pushing you all because of a bet he made with me. I'm not heartless you know."

"I-I was just surprised you cared," stammered Sakura, keeping her head down as she pulled at the grains of grass. "Enough to heal me too. And I, well I wanted to thank you for that as well. You're a really kind person, Tsunade-hime."

"Tch, kind. I left you to suffer for an entire week and you want to call me kind."

"You say that like you had an obligation to me or something. You came out of retirement from medical ninjutsu all for my sake. I'd say that counts for a lot. It makes you kind...to me at least."

The sannin watched the girl picking at the grass, an air of nostalgia in her eyes. "She deluded herself into only seeing the good in people too." Sakura's downcast eyes surfaced to Tsunade's, the obvious question lingering in her expression. "Yes I'm talking about your mother."

"So you did know her. I kept thinking you did, from that night. But everything was so hazy I wasn't sure if I was imagining it." The girl returned her attention to the grass.

"That's what you wanted to ask me about," stated Tsunade. "Your mother."

"Just confirming you knew her is enough," said Sakura. "You know, I haven't spoken about my parents to anyone who knew them personally, not since the war. It's weird...I felt like I was the only person in the world who remembered them. Who thought of them. Like that made their memory some virtual shadow that only existed in my head, ready to disappear from the world forever if I stopped remembering. It's just strange. Thinking of them brings so much pain, but not thinking of them would just erase them from existence. So what are you left to do?"

Her eyes prickled as she blinked back the sting, her fingers fidgeting against the dirt.

"A loved one's memory can be a burden indeed," said Tsunade. "I know it all too well. But they could never disappear, Sakura, even if your memory fades, as memories always do. Because nothing can erase the person that you are, and the person that you are is a product of them. Be who you are, and they will never disappear from your life."

"It seems so simple when you say it that way," she muttered. "But it's not."

"No it really isn't," exhaled the woman, shifting to rest against the tree trunk. "But I'm not worried about you. You are Maya's daughter, after all. I have certain expectations because of that."

The girl's cheeks flushed, her gaze darting toward the sannin. "Is that really...I mean, you're that certain I..."

"Hm? Well yes of course. Higarashi Maya was one of the best kunoichi of her time, a specialist in water-style jutsu no less. That alone was a rarity in Konoha, with all its fire and earth-style users."

"Okaa-san wasn't a ninja," piped Sakura in bewilderment. "She didn't know ninjutsu."

"Your mother was a Konoha shinobi," maintained the woman, staring off into the sky. "A well-respected jounin who gave up the craft when she and her husband moved to Iwa. That is the truth."

The girl paused, sifting through her memories feverishly but only coming up blank. This couldn't be the truth. It was no mystery that Sakura always wanted to be a ninja, and she recalled many conversations with her father about the life of a shinobi. Her mother wasn't present in any of those talks. But if she was a ninja, why did she quit? And what's more, why would she hide it from her own daughter?

"Was she not proud to be a ninja anymore?" asked Sakura, voicing her theories. "Did she want to forget about her ninja life? Was that why my parents moved in the first place?"

"Your parents had never spoken to you about their relocation to Iwa?"

"Well, yes. That the Kyuubi attack made the living conditions there unstable, and moving was their best option at the time."

"Then that's it," nodded Tsunade. "They moved, and with the move came an adjustment of occupations that forced her to discontinue being a ninja. As you know, ninja cannot work in non-allied ninja villages."

"So...if they lived in Konoha then Otou-san would have to stop being a ninja, and if they lived in Iwa then it would have to be Okaa-san."

"That sums it up. Your mother loved being a ninja. She would never quit unless she had to. Perhaps the memories of her ninja days were hard for her to share."

"I guess," she relented. "You seem to know a lot more about her than I did anyway."

"Maya and I were...practically family. And I was present at your birth, Sakura. I know how much she loved you."

"But she loved being a ninja too. Why didn't she and Otou-san move back here after things in Konoha settled down?" Sakura couldn't help the bitter thought, couldn't help but wonder. If her mother held onto her conviction as a ninja, if they had moved, they would all be here today, living safely and happily in Konoha with all her friends. Why couldn't life have worked out that way?

"Don't fixate on the past, Sakura," said the blonde, painfully aware of her own hypocrisy but heartily patting the girl's shoulder nonetheless as she rose to her feet. "Those things aren't important now. What matters is that you're here, and it's a good thing too because I'd be damned if Iwa got to have you as one of their ninja."

Sakura rose to her feet herself, noticing their other two companions exiting the shrine. "Thank you for sharing all of this with me, Tsunade-hime."

"I didn't share anything at all, believe me," she replied heavily.

"Man, Sakura-chan, that shrine was snooze-city," exclaimed Naruto, racing toward his teammate before they all continued on their path. "Nothing but old artwork and bald monks, I don't know _what_ Ero-sennin was thinking dragging me in there."

"I bet I know," muttered Tsunade, glaring at her old teammate as she hung back behind the young ninja.

"Why whatever do you mean, old friend?"

"You know damn well what I mean, Jiraiya," hissed Tsunade, Naruto's loud recounting of his experience in the shrine to Sakura overshadowing her voice. "You intended for Sakura to be alone with me. You knew what the topic of conversation would eventually circle to."

"The girl deserves to hear the truth about her own family, Tsunade. And I figured you of all people would be the best person to do it."

"I was sworn to secrecy and you know that. If you feel so strongly about this then why not tell it to her yourself?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "Nah, it's not my business to get directly involved. Besides, I don't even know the full story. I'd just raise more questions than answers for the girl. This is your obligation."

Obligation. Sakura used that word too. But the blonde had lost all of the closest people to her in this world. By right, she didn't have any obligations left. Not to Jiraiya, not to the Hidden Leaf, and certainly not for a young girl she barely knew.

"Let me make it clear to you here and now, Jiraiya. I will not be revealing anything about the circumstances of her parents' move to Iwa, and that's final. So I'd appreciate if you'd stop trying to manipulate me into telling her."

"Because you don't care?"

"Precisely," she nodded curtly.

"I see," sighed Jiraiya. "You feel no responsibility for the situation, I understand that now. Still, I can't help but find it interesting...how riled up you can get about it. I wonder why that is."

The woman only glared at him from the corner of her vision, refusing to feed the fire of his statement with a retort.

"I guess we just have to see what happens," he continued. "The truth always has a funny way of getting out...eventually."

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -


	23. Returning Home

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**RE-WRITE: 4/15/12**

* * *

_**Returning Home**_

The group had arrived in the Hidden Leaf, their immediate destination being Konoha Hospital. Sakura's anxiety bubbled the moment they stepped foot in the village. It was one thing to have faith in Tsunade's healing abilities when the prospect of Sasuke and Kakashi's health was hypothetical. It was quite another when they were minutes away from putting the medic's skills to the test. On arrival at the hospital, her hopes plummeted further still when the nurses informed them that neither patient had regained consciousness since their admission. Would Tsunade be capable of healing a genjutsu that had festered over a month?

"Tsunade-hime," began one of the medics breathlessly, "please allow us to debrief you on the patient's conditions."

"Yes," started another, "we've been monitoring them quite closely in your absence. I've been very detailed in my note-taking if you'd care to take a look."

The hallway was flocked by several white coats, each medic attempting to get a word in while the group headed toward the conference room. Sakura hung back with Naruto and Jiraiya, watching in awe at the powerful presence the sannin commanded. In this hospital, she was a celebrity of sorts, unflinching in the presence of her fans.

"I only need one of you," she stated authoritatively. "Where is the psychological analyst assigned to their cases?"

"I'm here," waved the man, his head of brown bobbing through the tangle of medics as he made his way toward the sannin. "Sato Daisuke at your service."

"Hey it really is Sato-sensei," pointed Naruto, nudging his teammate. Sakura nodded, her chest un-tightening in a temporary pang of relief. The chaos of these medical professionals only added to her apprehension about the impending treatments. But spotting a familiar face in the crowd, especially a gentle one like Team 7's psychological counselor, added some reprieve, if only for a moment before her torrent of worry returned.

"There are urgent issues we must discuss, Tsunade-hime," continued the psychologist as the pair disappeared into the room alone. "First there's..."

With the closing of the door, the mob melted away from the conference room, leaving Sakura, Naruto and Jiraiya to await them.

"Tsunade-baachan sure is a big deal around this place," commented Naruto. "Did you see the way they were all acting, jeez."

"The attention is well-deserved," said Jiraiya. "Tsunade's medical prowess is beyond measure. I have no doubt she'll be able to wrap things up shortly."

The wait extended like a stretch of eternity as they stood in the hallway. The kunoichi was rooted against the wall, her anxiety surging beneath her blank exterior. What if Sasuke and Kakashi would never wake up? There would be no more Team 7. She would never speak to them again. But what if they did awaken but had developed amnesia? Medical jutsu can't recover memories. How gut-wrenching would it be, having Sasuke look at her without so much as a glimmer of recognition? Worse still, what if Itachi's jutsu had implanted false memories in them and they began attacking their own teammates as soon as their eyes opened? And what if...

"Sakura-san? Sakura-san, are you hearing me?" The girl blinked out of her zone of disquiet, finding a spectacled man waving before her face. "I said I'm happy to see you again."

"S-Sato-sensei," she stammered, "I'm so sorry I was just, um, a little distracted. It's great seeing you too, sir."

"It's not like you to be so spacey, Sakura-chan," chimed Naruto. "You didn't even notice baa-chan's meeting was over."

"Given the situation, the behavior is understandable," offered Daisuke, as the pinkette turned to find Tsunade. The sannin was with Jiraiya, her face hard as they spoke privately in their corner. Sakura's heart sank as she watched them, the weight of their discussion carrying across the hallway. What was it that had even Jiraiya's brow creased in concern?

"Everything with your team will work out," said the doctor, drawing back Sakura's attention as he patted her on the shoulder. He must have read her worry. "Tsunade-hime is here, and I promise you everything will work out."

The girl nodded weakly as their group rejoined the sannin and headed toward Sasuke's room. "It was a pleasure seeing you again, Tsunade-hime," said Daisuke as they stood outside the door.

"You know baa-chan, Sato-sensei?" asked Naruto.

"Well yes. Tsunade-hime was the one who first encouraged me to pursue psychology. It was almost fourteen years ago but I'd never forget her for it."

"You always wanted to do something medical," sighed the woman. "But you were scared to death of blood. I only suggested something less messy."

"And I will always be indebted to you for the suggestion," he smiled. "The thought of almost becoming a medic-nin haunts me to this day."

"Take care of yourself, Daisuke," chuckled Tsunade. "And once again, thank you for all the intel you've shared."

"Please use it wisely."

With their good-byes to the psychologist said, the four ninja entered the room where an unconscious Sasuke lay. Sakura held her breath as Tsunade rested her hands on his forehead to begin the healing process. Her heart racketed against her chest as the healing chakra poured into the Uchiha. And after what felt like hours, the green glow ceased.

Sakura's body jerked forward so that she was right beside Sasuke, Naruto mirroring her actions on the other side of the bed. Her stomach wrenched as she waited for some reaction from her teammate. The seconds plodded by before Sasuke's eyes fluttered open, his body rising upright. The stinging tension in her gut diluted in a wave of relief, her eyes burning a she watched him.

"Sasuke," exclaimed Naruto happily. "Hey! You're finally..."

Before he realized what was happening, Sasuke found himself enveloped in a tender warmth, the scent of cherry blossoms filling his air. His vision was obstructed by a mess of pink, but his hazy mind soon caught on to what was happening.

"Absence does make the heart grow fonder, doesn't it?" muttered Jiraiya, he and Tsunade exchanging nostalgic smiles. Naruto only gaped at the scene, withdrawing slowly as Sakura continued to hold their teammate in her embrace.

Needless to say, her brain soon caught up to what her body was doing, Sakura's eyes widening to saucers above her searing cheeks. The boy's arms began curling toward her before she flitted away from him, almost stumbling from her speedy withdrawal.

"S-Sasuke," she squeaked, "I-I'm, uh, so happy to see you're a-all right." Her mouth could barely form the words under her racing thoughts. She did not understand what on earth had come over her. It was so improper.

"Y-Yeah," he answered, his head still in a daze. He shook off the uncomfortable heat on his neck, a side-effect from the jutsu he had been placed under, no doubt. It was probably responsible for his erratic heartbeat as well. "Are you two all right?" he continued, fighting through the haze. "My brother...he didn't..."

"Uh, yeah of course," piped Naruto after a pause. Usually Sakura was the one who assured everybody everything was all right...even if it wasn't. "We're standing right in front of you aren't we? Itachi's long gone."

"Are you okay, Sakura?" maintained Sasuke, his eyes on the pinkette though her gaze was adamantly avoiding his.

"I-I'm fine."

"You look feverish to me."

"I told you I'm okay," she proclaimed loudly, her cheeks reddening deeper. "You're the one who was just pulled out of a coma."

"Well it appears the treatment has been a success," added Tsunade, refocusing everyone on the issue at hand. "I suppose we should move on to Kakashi."

"This way," said Naruto, leading the sannin hastily out the room, if only to escape the awkwardness. He didn't really understand what was going on, but that didn't stop this tight feeling from forming in his chest. Escape was definitely the best option.

"I should...probably go too," began Sakura when they were alone, shrinking under Sasuke's gaze. "Make sure Kakashi-sensei is feeling better and all."

"You might want to keep an eye on the dobe too," said Sasuke. "No telling what damage he could do here without our supervision."

Sakura stifled a chuckle. "You have such faith in him."

"Yeah, faith that he'll have people leaving worse off than when they came in if we leave him loose."

"Oh the chaos that will ensue." Quiet laughter escaped her, Sakura's discomfort melting away. Had he sensed her discomfort from before? The boy only smirked at her coolly. "I'm really glad you're back with us, Sasuke." Their eyes met briefly before she motioned to the exit, Sasuke staring after her as she closed the door.

"...It's good you're okay too."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

By the time Sakura had caught up to the others in Kakashi's room, her sensei was already upright in bed, eye droopily gazing at the space.

"Look at you," scolded Tsunade. "You let yourself get taken out so easily. And here I thought you were some kind of genius."

Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck wearily, holding his lazy expression. "Glad to see you haven't changed, Tsunade-hime."

"Ah, give the man a break," said Jiraiya. "He was up against Itachi for crying out loud. As good as his one Sharingan eye is, it can't compare to fighting against two of them."

"I suppose you do have a point."

Kakashi sighed. "Now why does it still sound like you two are picking on me?"

"So what if we are?" prodded the Toad Sage. "The Hokage can do what she pleases right?"

"Hokage?" perked the jounin-sensei, all eyes on the medic. "You agreed after all."

"Hmph, of course I agreed," she answered hotly. "It's obvious this place is a mess. Couldn't leave it you or Jiraiya to fix."

"What? I don't believe this! A crabby woman like you couldn't-"

Sakura clapped a hand over her teammate's mouth, her vice grip holding him down as she stared up at Tsunade. "You're really going to be our Hokage?"

"Yes," she answered simply, her almond eyes held on Sakura's. "I have certain obligations that need to be fulfilled it would seem."

"But how can you be Hokage?" exclaimed Naruto, capitalizing on the pinkette's shock by weaseling out of her grip. "Hokage are supposed to be wise, and kind, and smart. I don't see how an old hag like you could fit-"

His face crashed to the ground before he could finish, his aching plight soon interrupted when a green-clad figure barged into the room. "Oh, Tsunade-hime it's true you've come! Now that you're done here, please, please, you have to take a look at my student, Rock Lee!"

Tsunade exhaled before following Guy out the room along with Jiraiya, leaving Sakura to tend to a bruised Naruto with Kakashi.

"It's great to see you up, sensei," said Sakura, managing to get the blonde to his feet. "How are you feeling?"

"Well I've been better, but then I've also been worse so can't really complain I guess."

"Jeez sensei, Itachi really creamed yuh didn't he?" chimed a recovered Naruto.

"Ugh, not this again..."

"Hey, hey, sensei, me and Sakura-chan have so much to tell you. About what we did, where we went, the fights we got into-"

"I think we should wait 'til Kakashi-sensei feels better before we give him all this, uh, exciting news. Right, Naruto?" Kakashi nodded to Sakura gratefully.

Naruto folded his arms, giving a sage-like nod. "Yeah, I guess you're right. We can move on to an even more important topic – sensei, when are you gonna get back to my training?"

Sakura shook her head in defeat, knowing a sinking ship of a conversation when she saw one. Kakashi would have to man this vessel on his own. With that, the girl slipped out of the room, partially to save herself from Naruto's hyperactivity and partially to search for Lee in the hospital.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

After wandering through the corridors for a few minutes, she began to hear the echoing of voices and slowly drew closer to the room. Not fancying herself an eavesdropper, Sakura was planning to stay out of earshot of the specifics of the conversation. That is, until Guy's booming voice rebounded through the hallway.

"This must be an imposter, Lee! This can't be the real Tsunade-hime!" Curiosity and concern quickly getting the better of her, Sakura slid closer to the room, leaning her ear to the door.

"So then…" said a voice she recognized to be Lee's, "there isn't any hope at all?" The girl took a hard gulp.

Tsunade spoke next. "I am the only person who can perform the surgery, and not only will it require a lot of time, but it is also incredibly risky."

"Risky?" said Guy softly.

"At best, the highest rate of success for such an operation would be fifty percent and if it fails...he will die."

Sakura's eyes widened in shock. She slowly pulled herself away from the door, as if hoping that doing so would prevent the room's horrible secret from integrating itself into the reality she once knew. She leaned against the wall of the hallway for support. "Lee-san..."

She lost track of the conversation those few seconds after the revelation, so her heart just about skipped a beat when the handle of the door suddenly turned. Slowly, Lee hobbled out of the room on his crutches. His eyes seemed deflated and sunken into the sockets, almost zombie-like. He was far too preoccupied with his thoughts to even notice that his pink-haired friend was leaning against a wall two feet to his left. He just walked straight out of the room and to the right toward the main exit.

Sakura stared after him when Tsunade appeared from the doorway, and directly into Sakura's view. Realizing Sakura's presence from the beginning, Tsunade looked directly at her, the pinkette doing the same. Concerned almond met solemn emerald for a moment. Sakura lowered her tear-filled eyes to the floor before lifting herself off the wall and following Lee's path out of Konoha hospital.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Her heart felt so heavy, as Sakura slowly walked out the building, entranced by the cold news until she went numb to the world around her. Everything had been going so well that day. She had been so concerned about her teammates' wellbeing that she completely dismissed the issue of Lee. And all along, he was the one most in need of her prayers. She was so caught in her melancholy she nearly missed the voice calling to her.

"Sakura! Hey Sakura, fancy running into you here!" Ino, Chouji and Tenten walked toward her, salutary smiles in place. "You've been gone for so long, we missed you. How are things?"

"Okay," was all the response she could spare the blonde.

"You're coming from the hospital right?" asked Tenten. "What's going on there? We heard Tsunade-hime is back."

"Yes, she's going to be our Hokage," she answered mechanically, silently praying the topic of Lee wouldn't come up. She was no way near prepared to deliver the bad news about him to one of his teammates.

"Well it's about time we got a woman Hokage," cheered Ino. "You don't seem too psyched though, Sakura."

"It's been a long journey. So much happened this past month."

"Some downtime'd do you good," smiled Chouji. "You earned it. Guy-sensei told us what happened after you disappeared."

"You should have told us you were going," pouted Ino. "We could have helped."

"There wasn't exactly time for that. I barely made it there myself."

"The important thing is everything worked out," said Chouji. "You look really tired though. You should head home."

"I'm just about to," she nodded, silently rejoicing the brown-haired genin's thoughtfulness. She needed an excuse to cut this meeting short.

"We're headed over to the hospital ourselves," said Tenten. "We'll see you later, Sakura."

"Oh wait, hey," started Ino, just as the chuunin turned away. "Well you were just there. Tell us how Sasuke-kun and the others are doing. You could save us the trip."

Sakura was thankful the other genin couldn't see her pained expression before she shifted back to them. She half-contemplated running off without another word, but that might have looked suspicious. "Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei are awake and well. They should be discharged later today."

"Oh awesome," said the blonde. "And Lee?"

"Lee-san..." Her emerald eyes squared on Tenten as she summoned the courage to speak. "Lee-san is...well, that is to say, he..." She continued to fumble, but her non-words relayed enough for the brunette to understand.

"He isn't getting better," she summed up, her gaze dropping to the ground. "I'm betting he's not sticking around at the hospital then. They can't do him any good. But...you're sure Tsunade-hime looked at him, Sakura? She examined him herself. Maybe they just left it to one of the medics and..."

"I'm sure," mustered Sakura. "The only option she could give was surgery, with a fifty percent chance that he...won't make it."

"This is awful," lamented Ino. "Do you want to go find him, Tenten?"

"He's not going to wanna talk just yet so I'll leave him alone for now. Lee's sensitive about this kind of stuff."

"Well if you're not going to see him," said Ino, grasping Tenten's hand with her own, "then come spend the rest of the afternoon with me. I'll make sure you get through this, okay?"

"But Ino I-"

"No buts," she pressed. "We'll have our own little excursion. You two are welcomed to join us."

"My bed is screaming for me," answered Sakura.

"Yeah, and this seems like a girl thing so count me out," said Chouji. "I gotta go get some food in me anyway."

"We were all just at the steakhouse two hours ago," tsked Ino. "Just don't stuff your face too much. Remember what Aumsa-sensei told you earlier – you've got to start thinking about things other than food."

"I-I know..." answered the boy. "But, I mean I gotta keep my strength up too..."

"Same old Chouji. Well, see you two later." The blonde fluttered from the scene with Tenten in tow, Sakura and the Akimichi staring after them.

"You probably want to get going too, right? I'll walk you."

"You shouldn't worry about it, Chouji-san," answered the pinkette, giving the boy a cautious glance as they began along the road. She couldn't quite put her finger on it but something was suddenly off about him. "So, um, are you meeting up with anyone to eat?"

He gave a hollow chuckle. "Nah I was just with my team at Barbe-Q. None of them would have an appetite now. They're not like me, eating every hour of the day."

"Naruto probably could."

"He's the only guy I know with an appetite to match mine," laughed Chouji, his expression lighter. "But even then he's still not like me."

"You say that as if it's a bad thing," said Sakura, brow raised. "If you were like Naruto, you'd be opening yourself to a lot of abuse."

"Probably true," he smiled. "But still...I wouldn't mind being more like him...physically."

"Physically? You mean short and blonde?"

"No not that. The other thing. What girls like that I'm just...not."

"I'm not following," said the pinkette, genuinely perplexed as she waited for a response.

"Don't do this, Sakura," pleaded the boy. "Don't make me say it..."

"Oh, um, well I'm sorry." Silence expanded between them as they walked, Sakura not chancing to pursue the conversation further. She just couldn't get where he was coming from. What girls liked that he wasn't? What kind of awful riddle was that? Chouji was so kind and sweet. What was it that he found so wrong with himself?

"Listen," she started, "I don't really get all this, and I'm not saying I have to, I just think...well I think you're pretty great as you are, Chouji-san. I don't know you too well, but I mean, I like you just fine. I-I don't know if that helps..."

"It...does...but it's just not the same. You don't get it..."

"H-Here's my stop," piped Sakura minutes later. "My apartment's just up ahead so no need to walk all the way down with me."

"As long as you get in okay. I just wanted to make sure."

"It was thoughtful of you," she bowed. "Enjoy your food. I really hope it gets you out of your funk, Chouji-san. I like you better with a smile."

The last remark coaxed a grin out of him as she turned away, his thoughts elsewhere in his daze.

"Sakura couldn't get'cha to stop thinking about her either, huh buddy?"

"Shikamaru," started Chouji, turning to his teammate. "When did you get here?"

"Aw I was around. Wanted to check in on you I guess."

"You didn't have to."

"Well maybe I wanted to then," shrugged Shikamaru. "But from the looks of it, you still can't seem to shake what Ino told you earlier."

"What? No way, I forgot all about it."

"Chouji," began the Nara, "seriously, stop worrying about bein' something you're not. All this talk about girls only liking slim guys and vice-versa, it's just what Ino tells herself to justify those crash diets she goes on. Just be you, whether that means eatin' two times a day or twenty. Anyone, guy or girl, can't do anything but respect you for that."

"But I don't care about just anyone, Shikamaru," said Chouji weakly. "There's just that one person..."

The chuunin exhaled. "Why'd it have to be her that you like? I mean seriously if it were up to me, I'd have you go for Sakura. She's the only girl around here I can actually stand. She did say she liked you."

"So you _were_ following us," remarked Chouji with a grin. "And I don't think she meant it that way. Besides, you can't choose these things. You'll understand one day."

"I pray to Kami I don't." The boy swung an arm over the Akimichi's neck. "Anyway, enough girl talk. You mentioned something about grabbin' some food? I'm starving."

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

* * *

**4/15/12: This is as far as totally re-written chapters will/should go. I'd still like to edit some things past this point, but perhaps after I post some new material. This story has been at Chapter 36 for too long. For my newcomers, I apologize if my writing style seems different beyond here. It's only because they were written so long ago in comparison to my re-writes.**

**As always, thanks for reading!**


	24. Hopeful Prospects

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**EDITED: 4/18/12**

* * *

_**Hopeful Prospects**_

The stream of sunlight peering through the closed curtains gently pressed against Sakura's cheek, bidding her to wake. Its insistence soon overcame her body's sleepy fatigue as she slowly opened her eyes, her dimly lit bedroom gradually coming into view. She willed herself to sit up on her futon, slowly massaging the bridge of her nose before stretching her arms into the air in a small yawn.

She sat there for a while, taking in the sight of her room which she had not seen in over a couple weeks now. Ahead of where she was facing, on the opposite side of her room was her small desk with a complimentary chair and lamp where she often sat at nights to read. She loved reading books about any and everything in the ninja world, from techniques to seals to even ninja history and folklore. She recalled with a tinge of disappointment that she had not been able to read for a long time now, since she hadn't taken any books with her on the search for Tsunade. She glanced at the shelf to the right of her desk, wondering if she had anything she could read today. But alas, there were the four library books which she had borrowed over a month ago and as she recalled, she had finished them already. Sakura let out a small disappointed sigh. _And they're probably overdue by now too…_

She looked down on her futon, noticing the sheets were not too disturbed or crumpled up after her sleep. No nightmares. She exhaled, relieved that perhaps her night terrors after Itachi's attack had finally disappeared. She pulled herself out of bed, opening her curtains to view the world outside her window. It must have been very early, as she noted the lack of activity in the normally hustling village. But she knew this scene would not last long, as citizens and ninja alike would be waking soon to start their work for the day.

Her thoughts strayed from the village streets and back into her room. As she leaned from her window, she noticed the picture frame that stood in the center of her bedside table. She picked up the object and smiled at the photo inside. It was the group picture of Team 7, taken the day after they passed Kakashi's bell test and officially became a team.

It was a comical scene, she thought, as her eyes wandered from each teammate: Naruto on the right, arms folded, teeth bearing in aggression as he glared at Sasuke with a look that could peel paint; Sasuke on the far left responding by glancing in the completely opposite direction in annoyance; Sakura in the middle, arms curled around each boys arm so that neither could escape the picture, smiling nervously; Kakashi, hands pressed on each boys head to prevent them from attacking each other, giving a painful smile. Sakura shook her head in amusement before heading in for a shower.

A refreshed Sakura emerged soon after, walking to her desk to unpack her weapons-case and kunai-holster. She put her ninja-wire and paper bombs on the side and rested her kunai and shuriken over her desk to count them and examine whether any needed replacing. By the time she had finished, she realized there was one more item nestled in her bag. The aged scroll of parchment that rolled onto the countertop sparked something in her recollection.

_"__Kakashi tells me you got a knack for water jutsu...That scroll contains a technique invented by the second Hokage himself. It may come in handy some day."_

That's right, it was the scroll Jiraiya gave her on their travels. She looked in awe at the parchment in her hands, smiling in anticipation. She had found her reading material for the day.

She returned the scroll to her case along with her tools and slung it around her waist, attaching her kunai-holster to her right thigh as well. The Hidden Leaf band on her head completed her outfit, but she frowned at this thought. No, something was missing…

She rolled her eyes in realization, not believing she could forget this, then opened the drawer of her bedside table and pulled out a kunai. This kunai was different from the regular kunai in her holster. Although it had the same basic shape, it was slightly larger and lacked a metallic luster. It was white in color, clay-like - a ceramic kunai.

_Usa-chan...how could I have almost forgotten you?_

* * *

_Six-year-old Sakura and Usagi were seated opposite each other on a miniature table, playing with clay. They decided to make animals today._

_Sakura stood up. "So what do you think?" she asked, smiling proudly as she presented the marvelous creation her best friend._

_Usagi gave light scratch to her brow. "U-um, wow Saku-chan, t-that's a really great, umm...elephant?"_

_Sakura's face fell as she looked back at the four-legged animal in her hand and then at Usagi once again. "What? Elephant? No no, it's a cute little puppy. Can't you tell from its puffy ears and cute little legs?"_

_The blonde winced. "Saku-chan, those 'puffy ears' are twice as big as its face…and of course the legs look small compared to its body, that thing is fatly huge." She spread her hands far apart for emphasis. "And don't even get me started on how abnormally long that puppy's snout is."_

_Sakura gave a comical frown as she pulled her 'puppy' to her side, as if shielding it from Usagi's critique. "So-so he's not like most puppy's," she said, defending her little monstrosity of a canine as if it were real. "That doesn't mean you should hate him so much." She looked down at the creature in her hands, bangs covering her eyes. "He can't help it."_

_Usagi shook her head in mock-exasperation as she stood up from the table, giving her best friend a hug. "Don't be ridicilulilous Saku-chan. I don't hate your little puppy, I love it. Because you love it, I love it, okay? So don't be sad, okay?"_

_Sakura gave a sad sniff. "S-so you really think it's good. I mean really?"_

_Usagi nodded. "It's the coolest thing I've ever seen."_

_Sakura pulled slowly away from Usagi's embrace and gave a wide smile, shooting a peace sign to the sky. "Haha yes! You said it was cool, Usa-chan! No take-backs!"_

_Usagi looked at her laughing friend, dumbfounded. "You…you…" Her face went from blank to playfully livid. "You sneaky little manipulalator! I cannot believe I fell for that one!" She smacked her forehead in disbelief and Sakura laughed mischievously._

"_Your fault. As if I didn't already know my arts skills suck. You know I only do this kind of stuff because you love it so much. But I don't blame you… " Sakura walked to Usagi's side of the table and picked up her perfect play-dough replica of a stallion. "…you're really good with this stuff, Usa-chan."_

_The blonde girl rolled her eyes, her anger evaporated. "Yeah, yeah, well you know art kinda runs in my family, Saku-chan. Outo-san's actually been teaching me a few of the family secrets with that lately."_

_Sakura put down the stallion. "Oh yeah? But didn't your older brother start learning that stuff when he was eight?"_

"_Yeah well Otou-san decided to start early." Usagi began twiddling her fingers nervously. It was an odd sight to see the six-year-old acting anything but bold. "U-um, well, we've been working with clay, um, and I-I...I made something for you."_

_A curious smile graced Sakura's lips. "Really? What is it? Come on, show me! Show me!" She was jumping up and down in excitement._

_Her reaction made Usagi slightly less nervous and she reached into her back pocket. "W-well, I know your dream is to be a great ninja like your dad, so I...I made this for you." Slowly, she pulled out a white, ceramic kunai. Sakura's mouth gaped open in awe as she approached the item with caution and took it from Usagi. _

_"I-it isn't sharp like real kunai or anything," added Usagi quickly, "so, you know, it isn't really that dangerous. B-but, it's really strong. Otou-san's words were 'exteremly durabuble.'" Sakura was still eying the gift in her hand with awe. "D-do you like it?" Sakura moved her eyes up to meet Usagi's, still speechless. "You hate it," she said flatly as she turned away. "I knew it, I knew you'd hate it. I mean, why would a future-ninja want a weapon that can't even cut-"_

_Suddenly the blonde was in Sakura's appreciative embrace. "I love it Usa-chan. It's perfect!"_

"_Y-you really think so?" asked Usagi, returning Sakura's hug._

"_Uh-huh," she nodded. "I'll love it forever…"_

* * *

A nostalgic smile crept across her face as she tucked the item in her maroon pouch where she always kept it. It wasn't a real weapon, but Sakura was as attached to the memento as with Gaara's letters, carrying it with her everywhere she went.

She bent down to close her drawer when she noticed the tattered Konoha Leaf band she had also secured inside. She took it out, noticing how worn-out the fabric had become over the years, how dented the metal band was. Her hand clenched the headband tightly as she recalled the moments before she had received it. Her father, bloodied at death's door, instructing her to present that Konoha headband as proof of her familial ties to the Leaf Village when she entered Konoha.

She shook her head at her own ignorance. All this time, she had assumed that headband belonged to her father. How foolish she was. She knew that shinobi of non-allied nations, like the Rock and Leaf, couldn't practice ninjutsu in other lands, let alone become actual ninja of those villages. That headband should have been the key to realizing her family's ninja history. It never belonged to her father at all.

"It was Okaa-san's…"

She traced her finger over the Hidden Leaf symbol over and over again, so many questions circling her. Why would her mother want to hide being a ninja from her? If she had been so proud of being a ninja like Tsunade had claimed, what made her change? Had she done something awful? And if she truly loved the village then why did she leave? With Konoha vulnerable as it was after the Kyuubi attack, any loyal shinobi would have considered it treasonous to abandon the village when it was most in need. And along that train of thought, she was torn with the same realization as before – if her mother remained a ninja and her parents stayed in the Hidden Leaf, they might not have...

Sakura shook her head feverishly, forcing from her mind those fiendish sprites that threatened to taint the prestine image she had of her mother. How could she even think like this? How could she ever think such awful things about her mother? She dropped the headband into the drawer and shut it without another thought, hastily scrubbing the tears she hadn't realized were forming in her eyes.

She retreated to the kitchen, securing some milk for her morning cereal from her pitifully empty refrigerator. She would need to go grocery shopping for some fresh produce later. As she held the carton of milk in her hands, she shook the packet of seemingly semi-solid milk.

_Note to self: also get milk._

She tossed the expired dairy into the trash and prepared the only non-perishable food item she had left in her home, instant-ramen. It was only after she slurped down the last noodle that she realized the travesty of her meal choice of ramen at six thirty in the morning. Well...a travesty to anyone who wasn't Naruto anyway.

Sakura cleaned up immediately afterwards before heading to the exit, giving her humble abode one last look over. Her eyes rested on the picture frame on her kitchen table - the only other photo she kept in her entire home. She stepped closer to look at the picture inside and smiled to herself. Yes, her mother was no coward. No matter her doubts, she was a good person. That much could never be contested. She raised her arms around her head to secure her Konoha headband and marched out the door.

* * *

Sakura made her way to the outskirts of the village and toward the lake, where she was planning to read the Second Hokage's scroll and possibly, to her delight, start practicing a new jutsu. She eventually came to a waterway and was making her way to the bridge to cross over it when she saw a familiar figure leaning on the rail, looking out into the water. It was Lee.

Of all the people she could run into in the early hours of the morning, Lee was the one Sakura least expected and most dreaded. Yet here he was, standing dejectedly on that bridge, arms rested over the railings, eyes watching the glum, completely defeated reflection of his face in the water. Sakura's first instinct was to turn around and get to the lake another way, and her feet actually responded at first as she whirled her body in the other direction. But she did not step forward.

One thought of Lee's support during her time of injury the Konoha Twelve training mission when she nearly lost her hands and she knew she could not abandon him. But at the same time, what could she do or say? What if the genin just wanted to be alone and confronting him would just make things worse? And even if he did want to talk to someone, why would it be her? Could any words she said really make that much of an impact?

With a bracing nod, the candy-haired girl screwed up all the courage she could muster, turned around and walked toward the bridge. Lee continued to stare dismally into the pool of water below him as she approached. As she watched him, she was suddenly felt inclined to wish the boy was under attack by a band of killer rogue ninja. At least those she was equipped to manage.

As she drew closer, Lee finally sensed her approaching presence and turned to her. His face was an emotionless mask at first, watching the sympathy in Sakura's eyes. They stared at each other for a moment, before Lee gave an acknowledging smile, the girl reciprocate as she made her way to his side. They watched the water below in friendly silence. If Lee wanted to talk, she was here for him. And if he didn't, she certainly wasn't going to force him.

"Sakura-san," started Lee after the first half hour had passed, "I do appreciate you staying here with me. But really, I am fine. I would not want you wasting your time here when I am sure there are other things you have planned to-"

Sakura jumped onto the rail without notice, sitting gracefully with her feet hanging toward the inside of the bridge. She reached into her weapons-case, retrieved the Second Hokage's scroll, and began to read intently. Lee gave a small smile, which Sakura pretended not to notice, and he turned back to look out at the water.

It was a little before noon before either of them moved from their positions again. Sakura's stomach was growling for the third consecutive time when she finally decided to give in to hunger. She rolled up her scroll, repacked it and hopped off the rails. Her movements earned her Lee's attention as he glanced to his side to see what she was up to.

"Oh, Sakura-san...um, I suppose you need to get goi-"

"You eat ramen, right Lee-san?" interrupted Sakura.

Lee blinked back in confusion. "W-what?"

"Ramen. You like it right? Ichiraku's isn't too far from here."

"Y-you want to go and have lunch…with m-me" Lee pointed at himself for emphasis.

Sakura smiled brightly. "Of course not. I want to _bring_ lunch to you. The scenery is a lot nicer here." She turned around and started running. "I'll be back in a bit."

_S-Sakura-san..._ Lee wiped his moist eyes and gave a small smile to Sakura's quickly retreating back.

* * *

As she waited for her food order Sakura couldn't help but marvel at the intricacies of the Second Hokage's justu. It would take years to implement the jutsu in the special way he did, but for now the standard way would have to do. And since she had the scroll practically memorized after her hours of reading, practice was the only part left to do. But that couldn't happen just yet. She still hadn't succeeded in helping Rock Lee.

Her mood dipped at the thought of the genin. She had no idea what she was doing, and her apprehension was quickly getting the better of her. What if waiting with him was wrong? What if he actually preferred to be alone but didn't want to be rude by telling her to leave? What good was her silent presence doing for him anyway? She had hoped if she stuck around long enough, he might feel more comfortable to talk if he needed to. But it had already been hours.

She needed to be bold. She needed to walk right up to Lee and ask him what was bothering him...yeah, that was likely. Truth be told there was only one person she knew who could pull something like that off. Where was Uzumaki Naruto when you needed him?

"Here's your order, Sakura-chan."

Sakura lifted her chin from her hands and smiled. "Thanks, Ayame." The smell of hot ramen rising from the bag made her mouth water, and she shook her head. If having ramen for breakfast wasn't Naruto-like enough, eating it twice in one day definitely qualified.

She paid her tab, and headed toward the bridge. Little did she know that a pair of eyes had been observing her departure with intense curiosity...

Sakura reached the bridge and found Lee standing in the same spot she had left him. He smiled weakly as she walked toward him. "Sakura-san," he said, when she reached the center of the bridge and was pulling out food cartons, "y-you really didn't have to do this. And I really-"

"You better get started on that ramen," she interjected, handing him the box of ramen and a pair of chopsticks. "Your food will get cold." She ended with a small smile that made Lee blush slightly.

"T-thank you," he said, receiving his meal.

She took her first bite of noodles, chancing a nervous side glance at Lee as they ate. Direct confrontation most definitely would not work for her. She couldn't handle talking to this Lee, his voice laden with covert sadness and regret. Everything he said, even a simple thank you, gave her heart a painful throb. How was she supposed to ask him about something that was actually emotionally taxing?

She took another bite, straightening her head forward when her emerald eyes suddenly got up-close and personal with a pair of cerulean ones. She leapt backwards in surprise, Naruto's squinted face coming into view.

"Naruto...I should have guessed that was you."

The blonde genin responded with a small pout, eyeing his teammate suspiciously. He glanced to his side where Lee stood, who was currently staring confusedly at the pair. Naruto looked back and Sakura, then to Lee once again, as if processing some information for himself, before he gave a relieved smile and turned to the pink-haired kunoichi. "Oho, Sakura-chan, you were having lunch with Bushy Brow?"

Sakura's brow rose. "Umm...yeah. Is there a problem with that? Why're you acting so weird, Naruto?"

The blonde wiped his nose and rolled his eyes. "Aw nothing, nothing at all..." But Sakura was not satisfied. The blonde seemed much too pleased for her liking. He ignored Sakura's gaze of suspicion and smiled at Lee. "Hey Bushy Brow, glad to see 'ya up and about. How're you feeling?"

"Uh, Naruto. Yeah I'm, um, doing okay..."

"Hey did Tsunade-baachan get a look at you?" he asked. "Well, what did she say?"

Naruto smiled at the genin expectantly, but Lee only lowered his eyes sadly. Sakura was about to reach out her hand for Naruto to stop. "H-hey Naruto..."

"You know, it's a good thing she decided to come here. I mean, you know the village is in a lot of trouble don'tcha?" He raised his clenched fist. "And we're gonna need every ninja we've got!"

"Y-yes," answered Lee weakly, as if unsure of himself. "...you are right."

"So you better get back up to fighting strength as soon as you can, got it? We all need 'ya!"

Sakura looked at Lee, who seemed to be contemplating something about what Naruto had said. "S-So Naruto, what brings you here? Going out to train?"

"Yeah, well I was going to grab a bite to eat first at Ichiraku's when I saw you there carrying out a bunch of food."

Sakura gave an exasperated sigh. "And what, you thought you could get a free meal?"

Naruto shifted his feet uncomfortably and looked off to his side, scratching the back of his head with his hand sheepishly. "U-umm, y-yeah. That's it. Yup, that's all I was doin'..." Sakura squinted at him with a scrutiny that evoked panic. "Errr, Sakura-chan, what's with the third degree huh?"

"You came here to see who I was eating lunch with didn't you?"

The blonde gave an uncomfortable laugh. "W-what? P-please, Sakura-chan, why would I do something like...okay, okay, I wanted to see who you were having lunch with. Happy?" He took a few casual steps to the side. "Well you know, I saw you leavin' Ichiraku's with all that food and it got me curious."

"But why would you care who I had lunch with?"

"Oh, I don't care who you eat with Sakura-chan." He folded his arms and gave an aggressive frown. "I just had to make sure you weren't out eating with Sasuke-teme."

She watched him blankly. "W-what? W-why should you care about _that_? Sasuke's our teammate. And even if I was out with him, eating or whatever, why would it matter? He's just as much my friend as you are, Naruto."

Naruto gave a small huff. "Yeah, well as long as things _stay_ that way…"

Sakura gulped, then rolled her eyes in annoyance, folding her arms. "And what's _that_ supposed to mean Naruto?"

He narrowed his eyes and gave a small mischievous smile. "You know _exactly_ what I mean, Sakura-chan."

The pair from Team 7 were silently staring each other down while Lee looked from one ninja to the other in utter confusion, realizing he was completely out of the loop on this one. The two teammates kept up their staring contest for another few moments before Sakura yielded, looking back at her food and taking another bite of ramen. Naruto smiled to himself, pleased with his triumph.

"Hehehe well, I'm gonna get goin' now. I've got lots of training to do, believe it." Naruto turned to the other ninja. "Get on your feet soon, Bushy Brow. Then I'll be able to show you my awesome new jutsu." And the boy ran off back to Ichiraku's.

Sakura shook her head and went back to her now-lukewarm ramen. Lee seemed to be in serious thought, possibly pondering over some of the things Naruto said, Sakura was not sure. She decided to concentrate on her ramen. Perhaps her teammate's visit was a blessing. It certainly seemed to have triggered something in Lee, something other than sorrow and despair. The knucklehead could be quite insightful sometimes...but other times, he was definitely way, _way_ off...

The pinkette finished her ramen before Lee seemed to have even touched his, not since Naruto left. Sakura turned to the direction of his contemplative gaze, realizing that he was looking at their soon-to-be Hokage, sitting atop a nearby building pouring over a thick book. She also stared at the woman, mostly because she was in awe of her. She highly doubted this fascination was the reason Lee himself was looking at her so intently though.

Sakura tore her gaze away from the medic, took out her scroll, sat back onto the metal rails and began to read again. The jutsu itself she was trying to teach herself did not seem too complex if executed the normal way. She opted to keep reading, ensuring she had the theory down. She would practice the basics later.

"Hey...S-Sakura-san?" asked Lee. Sakura looked up from her reading and turned to the boy. His stare was still fixed on Tsunade as he went on. "Do you think it's all worth it? You know...being a ninja. Is it worth it?"

"Well for me...it's really the only thing I ever wanted to be. No matter what, I knew I wanted to be a shinobi, the best I could be."

Lee gave a small nostalgic smile. "Yeah, I felt the same way. I wanted to prove myself, to show the world I too could be a splendid shinobi even though I could only use taijutsu."

"And you are, Lee-san."

"_Were,_" he corrected. His gaze shifted to Sakura. "Would you risk your life to be a ninja? Is it worth it?"

It was then that his line of questioning suddenly made sense, as she recalled what she had overheard the day before.

_"At best, the highest rate of success for such an operation would be fifty percent and if it fails...he will die."_

Sakura bit at her bottom lip. She knew what Lee was getting at. He was basically asking her if he should risk his life with the surgery or just live out his life not being a ninja.

"I can't tell you what to do, Lee-san," she lamented. "I'm sorry. But, well what I can do is speak for myself. Because we do it every day, you know..." Sakura looked up at the sky. "As ninja we put ourselves out there every day, risking our lives for the sake of the village. To me, what you're asking is kind of the same thing, don't you think?" She turned to look at Lee straight in the face. "To risk your life to _become_ a shinobi is like risking your life to do what a shinobi does, to protect the village and your friends. The only difference in your situation is that your life won't be in your own hands like before. You've got to place your trust in someone else. The question is how much do you trust that person?"

Lee also turned his gaze back to the sannin, as did Sakura, and they both watched her intently. That is, until Tsunade looked up from her book and, as if sensing Lee and Sakura's eyes on her, stared directly at them. Shocked, embarrassed and more than slightly intimidated, Sakura lost her balance on the railing, struggling to keep from falling over the edge while latching onto her scroll before it fell over as well. Lee helped to steady her with one arm and she slid off the rail and onto the stable ground.

"Ouch!"

"You all right, Sakura-san?"

"Y-yeah, yeah I'm okay, it's just my finger." Sakura lifted her bloody index finger away from the old parchment. "Darn, paper cut." She used her left hand to pack away her scroll before more blood got on it. "You ever wonder why these things are so small but bleed and hurt so much?"

Lee grabbed some napkins that came with the ramen and handed them to Sakura. As she padded her mortal wound, she looked back up at the medical sannin, who she was sure must have been thinking what a clumsy idiot she was...if she didn't already. To her horror, Tsunade was still staring at the scene and Sakura could have sworn the Hokage actually looked somewhat excited about the whole thing. Blaming that seemingly faulty observation on distance, she turned her attention back to her injury which had thankfully stopped bleeding. Sakura glanced back at the roof for good measure, but the sannin was already gone.

"Everything okay now, Sakura-san?"

"Yeah, everything's just fine. It's just a paper cut. I'm fine."

She smiled sweetly and Lee returned it. "And thank you, Sakura-san. For everything."

"What're you talking about, _I'm _the one who should be thanking you. I'd be drenched right now if you didn't grab onto me back there."

Lee's cheeks reddened slightly. "No, that was nothing. But what I meant was...thank you for staying with me today. You and Naruto have given me much to consider."

Sakura placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know you'll make the decision that's right for you."

She smiled brightly, which made Lee go a bit weak in the knees as he smiled back. "Now get going. It is as Naruto said, the village needs us now more than ever. And I know your time will be better spent training than standing on a bridge with me."

"But Lee-san..."

He shook his head. "You have accomplished your goal of helping me, really. I would much like it to be alone now. Although, how can I really ever be when I have such fantastic friends."

Lee gave a wide grin, reminiscent of his days before his accident. Although Sakura sensed Lee was not as fine and confident as he was trying to appear, she succumbed to his wishes.

"Take care of yourself, Lee-san."

"You too, Sakura-san."

And with that, Sakura continued on her way to the lake to practice her jutsu.

* * *

Sakura spent the remainder of the afternoon practicing her jutsu until well into the evening. She noticed the dwindling sunlight that accompanied sunset as she stood atop the lake-water, completely soaked from head to toe. Not desiring to catch the flu from the cold of the slowly approaching night, she decided to call it a day. Flicking the last bits of moisture she could from her hair, the girl headed back to her apartment.

Her stomach barely allowed her the time to shower and get into some dry clothes before it growled ravenously. She placed one hand on her tummy, assuring the groaning creature that a hearty meal was on its way. Her stomach growled back in incompliance as she recalled an important detail – she had absolutely no edible food in her apartment...apart from ramen. And if she did consume those noodles one more time that day, she feared she may just wake up the next morning a blonde, hyperactive knuckleheaded ninja.

Sakura decided her only option was to eat out. With hunger beckoning her to haste, she threw on her sandals and rushed out the door in search of a nearby, relatively cheap place to eat which served something other than ramen. She walked (practically ran) to the first place that came to mind - a small restaurant about three blocks away from her apartment. As she turned the final corner to get to the place of her aching stomach's salvation, she ended up torpedoing into an unsuspecting passer-by. Before she even realized what had happened, she found herself on the floor.

"Darn it," she cursed quietly to herself, "that's the second time today. I'm such a klutz...hey, I'm so sorry for bumping into you like-" She looked around her to see who her unsuspecting victim was, but found no one.

"You know, I always considered you a bit more graceful than this..."

Sakura's eyes widened as she realized that the instantly recognizable voice was coming from beneath her. She rotated her head to face the ground below her, only it was not the floor she saw. Instead it was the face of her dark-haired teammate, smirking back at her in amusement.

"S-Sasuke?"

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -


	25. A Night to Remember

_**A Night to Remember**_

"So disappointing…this is the kind of thing I'd expect from the dope not you."

"Sasuke? Sasuke, I-I'm so sorry! Y-you're not hurt are you?" She apprehensively looked over the upper part of his body for any apparent injuries.

"Sakura…Sakura, will you relax?" he responded, still smirking at her franticness. "I think I'll survive."

She stopped searching over his body and looked back at his face, sighing in relief. "Oh good. I mean you just got out of the hospital and everything and…well are you sure you're all right?"

Her concerned emerald eyes pierced Sasuke's onyx ones as she awaited his response. Although Sakura was too frazzled by her mistake and focused on Sasuke's wellbeing to notice, Sasuke was beginning to realize just how close Sakura was to him at that moment. Their faces were no more than a few centimeters apart. _It's just like back at the hospital… cherry blossoms… _

Sasuke's hesitation made Sakura frown slightly as she re-evaluated the situation, thinking perhaps that maybe she really did hurt him somewhere. Her roaming eyes came to an abrupt halt and widened as her cheeks suddenly became flushed when she realized she was currently practically straddling her teammate with her elbows pressed beside both sides of his body, and her face was so close to his she could feel his breath on her lips when he exhaled. No sooner had she discovered this than she literally leapt off the boy, awkwardly plopping onto the floor, heart thumping furiously against her sternum.

They both just as suddenly stood up from the floor, brushing themselves off. Sakura cleared her throat uncomfortably. "S-sorry about that, um…" Her cheeks were still quite red from embarrassment.

Sasuke brushed the back of his head, feigning coolness. "Oh uh, yeah, yeah, no i-it's fine. Everything's fine. I'm fine. A-are you fine?"

Sakura gave an abrupt nod. "Yup, yeah, I'm fine. _I'm_ fine, _you're_ fine, we're all fine, haha."

"Yeah, it's good to be fine." The both nodded their heads in agreement for a while, some might say a bit longer than was necessary.

Recovering his cool, Sasuke broke the ice. "So, where exactly were you torpedoing off to anyway?"

As if his comment suddenly activated some subconscious nerve center in her brain, Sakura's stomach gave an irritable growl, reminding its host of their current meal-finding mission. The kunoichi placed a hand on her stomach hoping to muffle its cries, but to no avail. Sakura sighed in defeat and Sasuke gave another smirk and shook his head in amusement. "Maybe you really are becoming more like Naruto…"

Sakura eyed Sasuke with a death glare and then gave a mock pout. "Yeah, well a real ninja would have been able to sense me coming and dodged the collision, no sweat. Looks like you're losing your touch, Sasuke. Or do I just move way too fast for you to keep up."

The genin narrowed his eyes at his teammate and scoffed. "Psh, you wish. I could have avoided you on a normal day, but I did only get discharged from the hospital today. I'm not at full strength yet."

Sakura rolled her eyes in response. "You keep telling yourself that, Sasuke."

Sasuke gave another annoyed grunt. "Believe what you want. I have a lot more important things on my mind today…" His expression gradually turned more solemn as he stared off into the distance.

Sakura acknowledged this with a look of concern and placed a hand on his arm to get his attention. "Sasuke, is everything all right?" Her fingers tingled a bit as they contacted his skin, like when touching a statically charged doorknob, although not as unpleasant. She ignored it.

Sasuke's thoughts returned to the girl before him as his eyes shifted back to hers. He could see the worry in her eyes, feel the warmth of her concerned touch. He smiled softly at her and she slowly returned her hand to her side. Sasuke gave a smirk. "Relax, Sakura. For the umpteenth time, I'm fine all right. Geez, you worry way too much."

Sakura rolled her eyes again. "Well excuse me for caring about my teammate. Maybe next time you might be hurt I'll just act like I don't care and walk away. Would you prefer I do that?"

Sasuke screwed his lips together tightly, averting his eyes from hers once again. "No…I guess not…" he replied quietly, more to himself than to her.

Sakura cocked her head to the side in confusion as her teammate continued staring off into space again. _What is with him today? He seems so distracted, like he's wrestling with himself about something. Was that what I was feeling when I grabbed his arm? _She absentmindedly rubbed her fingers with her other hand. _Just what is he thinking about?_

Sakura's lips were just about to part to convey her concern when another defiant gurgle ripped through the air between them. The sound drew Sasuke's attention back to his teammate.

There was a beat...

"Damn you have a noisy stomach."

Sakura's head dropped forward. "Hmf, yeah don't I know it," she mumbled. This is what she gets for eating nothing but ramen all day long. Now her unhappy digestive system was striking back with a vengeance. "Maybe I should get going…before I start generating earthquakes next." Although she muttered the last part under her breath, Sasuke's amused expression clearly indicated he had heard every mumble.

"Enjoy your meal. And just make sure you leave _something_ behind for the other customers, will you?"

Sakura gave him a deadpanned look. "See you later, Sasuke," she answered flatly. She decided to spare herself another one of Sasuke's irritating smirks by turning on her heals and walking away without a second glance. She had the nerve to execute half of her plan perfectly, at least, but could not bring herself to follow through. She turned back to give him a friendlier farewell-gesture. Expecting to find a cocky smile plastered on his face, Sakura was startled to find her teammate was staring off to the side yet again.

Sakura frowned a bit as she watched his blank facial expression. She was about to call her teammate's attention once again but someone else beat her to it. "SASUKE! SAKURA-CHAN! HEY!"

Sakura looked to her left and Sasuke to his right in response to their names only to find the most hyperactive member of Team 7 waving at them from afar. Within seconds he was standing in the space between his two best friends, panting slightly. "Hey (pant) what're you guys up to?"

Sasuke raised an amused eyebrow and Sakura shook her head. "Naruto you didn't have to speed all the way over here," said Sakura, eyeing her huffing teammate. "It's not like we were going to run away from you or anything."

Sasuke muttered a "speak for yourself" which earned him an annoyed glare from Naruto.

The blonde then turned to the kunoichi. "I was just wonderin' what you guys were doing, is all."

"We were saying good-bye," answered Sasuke, "how about you start doing the same?"

"I wasn't talking to you, teme!" snapped Naruto.

Sakura gave a pained expression as Naruto continued glaring at Sasuke while the raven-haired genin seemed purposely indifferent. The scene was almost identical to the day they took their team photo and Sakura sighed at this thought. _After all the messes we've gotten through together and they __**still**__ can't manage to be decent to each other._

"Well as fun as this is," chimed Sakura attempting to draw her teammates' attention away from their mutual animosity, "I really have to get going. If I don't get any food in me soon, I'll probably just pass out." Sakura began to turn away. "I'll see you guys around."

Naruto's head snapped in her direction. "Hey wait, Sakura-chan! Don't go just yet!" Sakura stopped and turned back to her blonde friend, who looked at her hopefully. "Let's go out to eat together!" He then turned to his other teammate, his eyes squinting at him in disgust. "You can come too, Sasuke." The words barely escaped through his teeth.

Sasuke just scoffed. "As if I want to spend my first night out of the hospital with a loser like you."

Expecting Naruto to respond explosively to Sasuke's taunting, Sakura was taken completely by surprise when she suddenly found herself being dragged away, arm in arm, by her smiling blonde friend. "Yup well you heard him, Sakura-chan, looks like it's gonna be just you and me tonight. See 'ya teme!"

As she was being pulled along by Naruto like a rag doll, Sakura stared out blankly for a couple seconds before she realized what was going on and resisted Naruto's tugging to a halt. "Hold on, Naruto. Sasuke was just kidding."

"Tch. No I wasn't," answered Sasuke coolly.

"See, no he wasn't," echoed Naruto. "Let's get a-move-on." He pulled on Sakura's arm again only this time her body did not move with him.

Sakura gave Naruto one of her 'stop-being-an-idiot' looks. "You know he wasn't being serious, Naruto." She then turned to Sasuke, a glimmer of worry in her eyes. "Were you?"

Sasuke blinked back, taken slightly off guard before he rolled his eyes and gave an exasperated sigh. "All right fine, I'll go with you guys."

Sakura smiled and Naruto made his face into a very unconvincing pout which almost instantly shifted into an expression of excitement. "Oh whatever, I just wanna eat! Hey, let's all go and get some-"

"NOT RAMEN!" growled Sakura in a very uncharacteristically aggressive tone. Naruto and Sasuke were looking at her as wide-eyed as if they were watching a two-headed dog doing the hokey-pokey. Sakura sweat-dropped in response, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "Well, uh I just meant…I mean w-we always go out for ramen…um, it might be nice to try something, uh, new?"

Recovering from almost going into shock, Naruto gave a defeated sigh. "OK OK, we'll eat something else. What do you guys have in mind?"

"There's a new steakhouse open we could try." Sakura and Naruto snapped their heads in Sasuke's direction, eyeing him with even more shock than the boys were giving Sakura moments ago. "Tch. What, I can't make a suggestion?"

"I-It's not that you can't…" started Sakura in awe.

"…but more like we didn't know it was physically possible," finished Naruto, still looking mesmerized.

Sasuke turned his head from Naruto to Sakura and back to his male teammate again. He grunted, "Will you two quit staring at me now? I promise I won't make anymore suggestions ever again."

Sakura and Naruto simultaneously turned to each other and back to their annoyed teammate and chuckled. Sasuke raised a questioning eyebrow as Naruto moseyed over to his friend's side and punched his shoulder lightly. "Hahaha just teasin 'ya, Sasuke. Now come on, let's head over to your restaurant and get some food. I'm starving!" Naruto patted his stomach for emphasis and Sakura inwardly seconded his suggestion as the three friends made their way to the steakhouse.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The evening went on with a jovial air and friendly fluidity to it as the young ninja of Team 7 enjoyed their dinner together. Despite being seated across from his sworn rival, Naruto was smiling from ear to ear the entire time; Sakura could not recall a single occasion she had laughed so much, and even Sasuke had his lips constantly curved in a way that for once did not resemble a smirk.

They were more or less finished with their meal (Naruto was adamant not to give up his plate until he cleared it of every grain of rice) and they were awaiting their bill when familiar voice drew their attention.

"Aw look at my cute little students, having dinner all together…you make your old sensei proud."

The three ninja looked up from their table to find none other than Kakashi staring down at them, his right eye closed in a genuine smile despite his teasing tone.

"Kakashi-sensei, what the heck are you doing here?" Of course only Naruto could make such a tactless greeting.

Kakashi dropped his head in a comically dejected kind of way, muttering something along the lines of, "No one around here appreciates me…" He recovered and placed a casual hand behind his head. "Oh you know, I was just in the neighborhood stretching my legs a bit. I was unconscious for over two weeks remember?"

Sakura raised a suspicious eyebrow. She knew her sensei long enough to know he never just runs into anyone unless he means to. Sasuke's face mirrored hers, and even Naruto was watching Kakashi more intently than usual.

Realizing he most definitely was not fooling anyone, Kakashi decided to abandon his coy charade and to, as they say, cut to the chase. "Sakura I actually have a message for you from Tsunade-sama."

At the mentioning of the sanin, Sakura suddenly became unnaturally aware of her heartbeat. "Um…what is it?"

"She would like for you to meet her in her office - the Hokage's office - after the inauguration ceremony tomorrow morning."

"Sh-she wants a meeting…with _me?_ W-why?"

The jounin shrugged. He was about to say something when his arm was grabbed by his blonde student. "Hey wait, sensei! Are you tellin' me the old lady is becoming the Hokage _tomorrow_?"

Kakashi and Naruto's conversation went on - the genin asking for the specifics of the ceremony (since he would of course be going through the process one day himself) and his sensei giving him a fruitless scolding on being more aware of the goings-on of the village.

The specifics of the conversation were lost to Sakura, however. Her mind wondered more about the ending of the inauguration, not the ceremony itself. _Tsunade-sama…our Hokage…wants a private meeting with __**me**__? Why? Does it have something to do with Orochimaru? _She bit her lip at this thought. _B-but wait, if it __**is**__ about him then, well, maybe it's actually good news? Yeah, this could all just be information for the better. _She moved her empty plate to the side for the waitress, who had just appeared, to pick up their dishes. Sakura then gave a small sigh. _Face it, Sakura, it's not Orichimaru that has you scared right now…it's the thought of being in a room with that woman. Why do I always feel so nervous when I'm around her? It's not like that with Jiraiya-sama…_

"Hey Sakura-chan, why didn't you tell us?"

It took the sudden silence around the table before she realized that Naruto's question was being directed at her. "Huh? What did you say Naruto?" Sakura noted the excited expression on his face.

"I said, why didn't you ever tell us you made chuunin? Kakashi-sensei just spilled the news."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "You make it sound like I'm some kind of gossip. I only mentioned it because I thought you guys knew about it and that's why you're out tonight, celebrating her promotion. And you know…" The silver-haired jounin put a pensive index finger on his masked chin. "…now that I think about it, I guess that means you all really weren't here celebrating without your dear old sensei. Haha I was beginning to think you guys didn't like me." His uncovered eye closed in the relieved, mocking smile only Kakashi could do.

Sakura sighed at her sensei and then turned back to Naruto's excited and slightly wounded gaze. "Well, I mean a lot happened after I got the news myself, what with searching for Tsunade-sama and running into Itachi and Orochimaru…"

"You guys saw Orochimaru?" asked Sasuke, the light tone he had adopted during their meal disappearing from his voice completely. "What did he want?"

Sakura screwed her lips together, not really certain how to respond. "He was after Tsunade-sama," answered Kakashi. The three students looked up at their sensei. Naruto and Sakura gave him a look of confusion, but he pressed on. Judging from Sasuke's expression, he clearly wanted more answers. "He needed Tsunade-sama to heal the injuries he sustained during the invasion last month. Of course she refused, and the three sanin battled it out for a while. Jiraiya-sama told me all about it."

Sasuke's eyes fell to the table in contemplation while Naruto's and Sakura's gaze remained on their sensei. He gave them a knowing look, indicating that this lie was better than the truth and the two teammates shifted their eyes to Sasuke. The Uchiha kept his eyes down as he asked quietly, "So…does that mean you two weren't hurt?"

Sakura blinked back in response. She was not sure whether to feel guilty for lying to her best friend or touched by his concern. Sakura looked up at Kakashi for reassurance but she could not make much out of what little of his face she could see. Although she could have sworn she saw the outline of a smile hidden beneath his mask. The pink-haired chuunin turned back to Sasuke and answered, "We were fine, Sasuke, don't worry. Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama took care of him. He didn't lay a finger on us."

Sasuke looked up into Sakura's eyes and she sensed a hint of relief hidden in the onyx hue. Naruto folded his arms assertively. "Not that we couldn't have taken that creep out on our own if we wanted too!" His teammates could hear the edge of hostility in his voice. "Hmf. The only good thing that came outta him gettin' away is that next time, _you'll_ be with us, Sasuke, so we can all get a little payback!"

Judging from the disgust in Naruto's voice, Sakura could tell he certainly did not forget the way the snake sanin threatened her during their last encounter. The look in Sasuke's eyes told her that he definitely would not mind paying the villain back for marking him, as well.

"Eeeeeasy boys," said Kakashi, in his carefree, no-worries voice. "You've both got ways to go before going toe to toe with the likes of Orochimaru. Anyway, you all should get back to your evening. It actually looked like you all were getting along before I showed up." He said the last part eyeing Naruto and Sasuke mainly.

"Yeah," replied Naruto, his emotions quelling, "I guess you're right sensei. Congrats Sakura-chan!" The blonde gave his favorite kunoichi a wide, toothy grin and Sakura smiled back.

"He's right, Sakura." The girl in question turned to Sasuke, who gave a small smile. "Great job. You deserved it."

If she were being completely honest with herself, Sakura had to admit that she probably did subconsciously avoid revealing her promotion to her teammates, mainly because she worried it would spark a bit of jealousy towards her. But sitting there in that restaurant, at that table, in that moment, she could tell Sasuke and Naruto were genuinely very happy for her. She gave herself a mental slap; she could not believe she ever doubted her two best friends. Sakura smiled softly. "You guys…"

Kakashi gave a fake sob and wiped his eye with his finger, as if removing a tear from it. "Ooh, look at my cute little students, going out together, supporting each other…what more could a sensei ask for?"

That was it. That was the last straw. Team 7 grew to become tolerant of their eccentric sensei and his ways out of necessity, but there was only so much mocking any self-respecting ninja could take. They knew retribution was in order.

Sasuke was just about ready to slap Kakashi silly, sensei or not. And Sakura half-wondered if death-glares might be a suitable means of punishment. But Naruto, of course Naruto, the prankster Naruto, had other ideas.

"Aaaw senseeeeei…" began the blonde, matching Kakashi's innocently sweet tone with his own, "I'm so glad you feel that way. I mean, as our sensei, I'm sure you, more than anyone else, can understand the importance of team members getting along. Otherwise, our teamwork would suffer, right?"

Kakashi peered at Naruto through his half-opened eye, clearly wondering where he was going with this and bracing himself for some scheme. "I follow you…"

Sakura and Sasuke eyed Naruto curiously. Oh, if only they were mind readers…

Naruto gave a purposeful pause and continued. "Yeah, you might say the more often we all get together, the better out team gets. And as our sensei, you want our team to be the better, don't you?"

The jounin raised an eyebrow. "That is true."

Naruto sighed. "I, personally, would love to eat out with these guys all the time, but I unfortunately don't have the budget for it." The boy wore a sad frown, which was obviously forced to anyone who knew him. "It really would help if someone could chip in once in a while…"

Sakura's lips curved in realization of the plot. She then added, "Hey, sensei, maybe _you_ wouldn't mind doing it some time."

Kakashi eyed her dangerously. He knew the moment more of them began chiming in that he was in mortal peril. "Doing what?"

"You can't expect him to do it unless he cares," said Sasuke, also catching on to the plan.

"Are you suggesting," asked Naruto incredulously, "that sensei doesn't care about our teamwork being on target so we can keep each other safe?"

"Based on passed experience, I'd say he _does_ care," said Sakura in a matter-of-fact kind of way.

"He cares," said Naruto, "which means he'll do it."

"And now's a good a time as any," said Sasuke.

Seeming to have come to some irrefutable conclusion, the trio suddenly got up from their seats all at once and began filing passed Kakashi, Naruto being the last and patting Kakashi on the shoulder as he went by. "Gee, thanks for paying for us, sensei. With the money you'll save us, we'll be able to do this again some time _real_ soon. Our teamwork is indebted to you. Haha, you're the best!"

The moment the young ninja were in Kakashi's blind spot, they sped out the door leaving Kakashi standing as if he were a balloon that had just been deflated.

_I think I've just been duped…_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto were laughing through the dark streets of Konoha, happily recounting their successful exploits on their unsuspecting sensei.

"Hey, you guys don't think we went a bit too far though do you?" asked Sakura.

The boys turned to the kunoichi, who was currently walking in the middle of them, and gave her a look that screamed "hell no."

Sakura gave an amused smile. "Nah, I didn't think so either."

They reached their usual parting point. Naruto gave an exaggerated yawn. "Yup, I think it's time I went home then. Hehehe, it ended up bein' a _great_ day though!"

"It was definitely one of my best days," commented Sakura.

There was a small pause after which the two looked at Sasuke expectantly. "Pft. All right fine…this day was pretty OK for me too." He looked away as he folded his arms and said quietly, and albeit begrudgingly, "I really enjoyed myself." For once, Sakura was the one smirking and Naruto grinned widely. "Tch. Well, weren't you just ready to leave or something, Naruto."

Naruto grunted. "I'll leave whenever I want to, teme!"

Sakura sighed. _And they were getting along so well…_

"Hmf, anyway," began Naruto, his anger dissipating, "I guess it _is_ getting pretty late. And if we're all gonna make it to the ceremony on time tomorrow morning, I guess it's probably best we get to sleep right?"

His teammates nodded. "Meet you guys at the same spot?" inquired Sakura.

Sasuke gave a disinterested huff. "I suppose if I'm going to go to the ceremony, I might as well have some company."

Naruto smiled to himself. "You're not fooling anyone, Sasuke. And would it _kill_ you to admit you actually like us?"

"Tch. Probably," retorted Sasuke.

"Hmf. Well I'm not chicken like you." Sakura recognized this tone. Whenever Naruto struck this cord, it often meant he was about to make a dramatic speech. "Because I for one…am really glad I've got you two to have my back. I can't imagine anyone who could do better!" Naruto gave a warm smile as he turned from one teammate to the other. "Honestly…I don't think I've ever really told you guys how much you mean to me. I woulda been completely lost without you two. So thanks…thanks for being the best friends ever! Haha."

Sakura could feel her eyes watering but held them back as best she could and just smiled. Even Sasuke was watching Naruto with a sort of grateful look in his eyes. This, however, did not last long. "Could you get any cornier dope?" Naruto's eyes fixed on Sasuke, his facial expressions impassive. "Next thing you know, he's gonna start confessing he's really a girl under there." Naruto bore his teeth. "It would definitely explain the way his voice sounds, and the height impairment."

One moment, Naruto and Sasuke were glaring at each other and the next Sakura was using all her strength to prevent Naruto from all but pouncing on their overly sarcastic teammate. "Naruto. Naruto! That's enough! Sasuke was only teasing." Sakura shot the Uchiha a dirty "you-know-this-is-all-your-fault" look, which he responded to with a shrug.

After struggling against Sakura for a while, Naruto finally yielded and was just huffing furiously. "Fine, I take it back," he said as Sakura released him. "All that I just said only applies to _you_, Sakura-chan. You're my one and only best friend. Hmf…and here I was about to suggest we all go have breakfast together before the ceremony, well you can just forget it." He smiled. "Good night, Sakura-chan!" He glanced at Sasuke through slit eyes. "Pleasant nightmares, teme."

Naruto ran off in the direction of his house, a spring in his step despite the recent Sasuke-driven hostility. As Sakura watched his retreating back, a thought crossed her mind which made her grimace. _Oh right, breakfast…_

Sasuke eyed her curiously as he noticed this and asked, "What's wrong with you? Didn't think you'd be that upset that he's left."

Sakura turned to the dark-haired boy next to her. "Oh no, it's not that. Naruto just reminded me about breakfast." Sasuke did an eyebrow-raise. "I was supposed to go grocery shopping today, and now the only edible thing I have in my house is instant ramen."

"Oh, yeah I see why that thought would depress anyone who isn't Naruto. Well, I mean there's a 24-hour convenience store nearby here."

"Hm, yeah I know the place. I guess I'll pop in and get some eggs or something. I guess I'll see you tomo-"

Sasuke unexpectedly began walking off, although not in the direction of the Uchiha compound. Sakura jolted forward to catch up to him. "You don't have to go with me, Sasuke. It's not that far."

"It's late," he answered simply, still looking ahead as they walked.

"I'm a ninja. You don't think I can take care of myself?"

"It's not that. It's just…well _I'd_ feel better about it…" Sakura looked at Sasuke as if she were seeing him for the first time. "Tch. Besides, unlike Naruto, I actually know how to be a gentleman."

Sakura shook her head in amusement and shoved her hands in her sweater pockets. "And they say chivalry is dead."

Moments later they were in the small convenience store. It had a low ceiling with shelves haphazardly stacked and teeming with goods, making the shop seem even more cramped. A young boy no older than 11 was minding the shop. He was leaning over the counter with a bored expression on his face when the two friends entered. The boy got up with a start and looked at them excitedly, appreciating a change in atmosphere.

Sakura acknowledged him with a nod and went to the overly stocked shelves. "It's a good thing this place isn't very big," she whispered. "There's absolutely no order to how this place is set up. I mean, who stacks cereal right next to fireworks?"

Sakura searched through the shelves for some breakfast food while Sasuke was just looking around to entertain himself.

_Ah, here are the eggs._ She reached up for the dozen-filled carton when a stack of books near them caught her eye. She had to at least have a look at them. There were a couple of picture books for children and some home-improvement help books. What interested her more were the ones pertaining to ninja. There was one about sneak tactics and another on repelling genjutsu. She decided to get a closer look on the latter one and began skimming the pages. She was hoping she might have stumbled across something worthwhile, however the frequent misspellings and mediocre use of grammar told her otherwise.

"Why're you wasting your time with a book like that?" She looked up from the pages to find Sasuke watching her with a mocking expression on his face. "You can tell just by looking at it that it can't be very reliable." Sakura had to agree. The most reputable books did not normally have rainbow colored covers.

"You're probably right. The title just caught my eye is all."

"What…" he said taking the book from her hands, "the fact that it's about genjutsu or that it's entitled 'The Beast Genjutsu Difence'?"

Sakura chuckled. "I suppose the library would be more reliable place for me to read up on defending against genjutsu."

Sasuke put the book back on its shelf. "Why so interested in genjutsu all of a sudden anyway? I figured you would be focusing more on water jutsu right now."

"I guess I never really had much of a reason to up until now…" She grabbed the eggs and went to the small refrigerator in the store to get some milk.

"This doesn't have anything to do with my brother, does it?" He put as little emotion in his voice as he could.

She picked up the bottle of milk and looked at Sasuke, the sympathy in her eyes indicating that he was right.

"Don't concern yourself with my brother, Sakura. He isn't your problem."

"Of course he's my problem - he's hurt you so much plus he's after Naruto. I can't just ignore that."

"It's like I told you that last time…_I'll_ take care of Itachi."

Sakura stepped forward, a hint of anger in her eyes. "You don't have to do everything on your own, you know. We can help, we're not useless."

"I know you're not," he mumbled. Sasuke sighed and spoke after a short pause, his tone returning back to his normal, nonchalant and less serious self. "Are you planning on buying those things anytime tonight?"

Sakura glanced at the two items in her hands and nodded. She walked over to the boy. He did not notice the two customers' exchange since they had spoken so softly to each other, so he did not look the least bit uncomfortable when Sakura walked over to him. The boy pulled out a small, tattered book and recorded a few things in the inventory before he looked up at Sakura. He blushed slightly as he met her gaze and said, "That'll be 268 yen, miss."

Sakura pulled out her money as her groceries were being packed and handed it to the boy. He dropped them nervously on the counter before he picked them up and placed them in the register and pulled out some change.

"Thanks," said Sakura pleasantly.

The boy blushed again. "N-no, thank you. And you have a nice night." He smiled and Sakura returned it and walked out, Sasuke at her heels.

"I think you have an admirer, Sakura."

"Huh?" responded Sakura, blissfully unaware of the interaction.

Sasuke smirked. "Never mind. Here let me carry those for you." He pulled the paper bag out of Sakura's hands.

"You don't have to do that Sasuke." He gave her a purposeful look. "Oh right, I forgot. Always the perfect gentleman, aren't you?"

Sasuke kept smirking as they made their way through the empty streets to Sakura's apartment. At Sasuke's insistence, he carried her foods all the way up to her apartment. Sakura unlocked and entered her place, turning on the lights. Sasuke remained in the doorway with the bag as Sakura kicked off her shoes and entered.

Sasuke coughed to get her attention, since she had not noticed he was waiting for her to take the groceries from him before he left. "What are you standing out there for? You can come in you know."

"It's all right. Just take your stuff and I'll head out."

"Don't be ridiculous, at least come in for a drink of water or something." She took the bag from Sasuke as he yielded and started taking off his shoes.

"You know," Sakura began musing to herself as she packed the food, "I had no idea acting all gentlemanly was so important to you, Sasuke. Carrying groceries, walking people home, not entering houses without explicit permission…"

"I-It's just something my mother always instilled in me, I guess." There was a hint of sadness in his voice that Sakura did not miss.

She looked back from the refrigerator. "You must really miss her don't you?"

Sasuke looked away and walked up to the kitchen table. Sakura turned back and began getting two glasses of water. The genin noticed the picture frame that stood alone on the table and picked it up to examine it. There was a tall, ruggedly handsome man with hazel eyes and short, brown, spiky hair standing with one arm around a young, beautiful woman with long silver hair and emerald eyes. The woman was holding a small child who shared the same face as her mother, except she had pink hair. They were all smiling happily.

_She couldn't have been older than 6 or 7 when this was taken,_ thought smiled softly at the photo. "Looks like you miss your family too."

Sakura turned back with two cups of water in her hands and walked towards Sasuke, noticing the picture in his hands. "Yeah," she answered quietly, "actually I do." Sasuke took the glass in his free hand and rested the frame onto the table.

Sakura took a sip of water, but Sasuke kept staring down at the table. The kunoichi noticed he had the same confused look in his eyes that she had seen on him earlier that evening. She patiently waited for him to speak.

"Hey Sakura…" He did not look up from the table as he spoke. "Haven't you ever wanted to track down the person who…you know…took your parents away from you? Make them pay for what they did?"

Sakura suspected Sasuke's dilemma had something to do with thoughts of Itachi. "Well…to be honest, no…I can't say that I did."

Sasuke's head snapped upwards, not expecting this response. "What do you mean no? Why not?" His tone was a bit scalding, but Sakura tried not to look nonplused.

"Well I suppose my situation's a bit different from yours I guess…the man who killed my parents is already dead." It was Sakura's turn to look away as she spoke. "…and I can't say it made anything easier."

"At least you got justice," added Sasuke bitterly.

"What justice?" Sakura looked at Sasuke, her expression as calm and gentle as ever. "It didn't change anything; it didn't bring them back."

Sasuke scoffed. "So you're saying the answer is to do nothing then? To just keep living on and looking forward, give yourself time to heal?" He spat the words like venom, but Sakura's expression did not change. She understood where he was coming from. She had been there herself.

"I'd never lie to you like that, Sasuke." The boy blinked back in surprise, hearing another answer he did not expect. Sakura looked away again. "But I guess that's what everyone says we should do, right? Just pick yourself up and move on. Be strong for the moment…time heals all wounds. It's as simple as that." She chuckled to herself sarcastically. "But I know better than to say that. Time doesn't heal anything…" She looked back at her teammate. "…it just makes the pain more bearable."

A moment of silence passed. "You told me you wanted to defeat Itachi yourself, make him pay for what he did?" Sasuke give her a look of confirmation. "And you think that'll make you happy?"

"Maybe…it'd definitely make me feel better at least."

"No, I don't think it will. And I don't believe that's why you want to do it either…" Sasuke looked at his teammate curiously. "Don't convince yourself you're doing this for your benefit, Sasuke…I think you're doing this to hurt yourself."

"You think I _want_ to be in pain?" said Sasuke, painful sarcasm in his voice.

"Yeah actually," she answered simply, "I do."

Sasuke scoffed and turned his back on his female friend. "What do _you_ know about it?"

"I know I went through the same thing." Sakura stepped forward, a hint of desperation in her voice. "Why do you think I didn't make any friends until we became a team? Don't you remember?" Sasuke wheeled back to face her. "I said I didn't want any until I was sure I could protect them. Because I didn't want to be put through that kind of pain again. In retrospect though…well I know better now." Tears were welling up in her eyes, but she pressed on. "The truth is I hated myself…" She clenched her first. "I didn't want friends because I didn't think I deserved them. I didn't have the right to be happy ever again, because after that attack _I_ got to live and everyone that I loved didn't. And I _hated_ myself for that…"

"Sakura…"

The girl wiped away the fully formed tears from her eyes. "Don't make the same mistake I did, Sasuke. Because you _do_ deserve to be happy…I think so at least."

"I-I don't know Sakura…fighting for revenge is all I've ever known. It's what kept me going all these years. And I don't…" He let his words trail off, unable to finish.

"Is it really that impossible for you to forget about the whole revenge thing? To just let it go?"

"No, it isn't," he replied quietly, "…that's kind of the problem." Sakura cocked her head to the side in confusion and Sasuke put his un-sipped glass down on the table and turned away. "When I'm with you…and Naruto, and even Kakashi…it makes it so, so _easy_ for me to forget it, so easy to make revenge a second priority to keeping you all safe. The problem is…I'm not sure if I _want_ to…if it's right…"

Sakura walked closer to her friend. His back was still turned to her but she grabbed onto his hand with her own. Again she felt the shocking tingle as she made contact with his skin. She ignored it as she did before. Sasuke turned and looked down to her so that their eyes met. "I think it is…" They remained in each other's gaze for a moment before Sakura released his hand and stepped backward. "Of course, that's just my opinion anyway."

"Well I would be a little foolish not to consider a genius's advice," joked Sasuke, his voice now more conversational. He picked up his glass and took a few gulps before he rested it back down. "Well it's getting late, and I should probably head out now. Still, I'm glad I got to finally see your place," he said, looking around the room to take in its full effect. "I always wondered what your home looked like."

"You did?" questioned Sakura, taking hers and Sasuke's glasses to the sink.

"Yeah, although this place is a bit dusty," he said, sliding his finger across the kitchen table and pretending to examine it. "I had you pegged as more of a neat-freak."

Sakura gave an embarrassed gasped. "I-It's not normally like this. I mean, I was just saying to myself this morning it needed a good dusting after I'd been away for so long, b-but I never got the chance to-" Sakura paused as she noticed the amused expression on Sasuke's face. "You don't think it's dirty at all do you? Why did you say that?"

Sasuke smirked. "Just proving a point. You're actually even more of a neat-freak than I thought."

Sakura folded her arms in a playfully aggressive way. "You know what, just get out of here already. Go. You are no longer welcomed in my home."

"Pft. I was on my way out anyway," he answered as he walked to the door and was putting his shoes back on. "Good night Sakura."

"Later Sasuke," she said, waving as he opened the door to leave.

"Oh and Sakura…" Sasuke's back was still facing her but her turned his head to look behind him. "Thank you…for everything."

He then exited and closed the door behind him, leaving Sakura staring after him. _Sasuke…I really hope you find happiness somehow…_

* * *

**Hahaha...another update complete, and ahead of schedule too! It's amazing how much writing you can get done when you're sick and forced to stay in bed all day no? **

**And this was a pretty long one too...I just couldn't stop writing! I was originally supposed to include Tsunade's inauguration and all that stuff in this chap but by the time I wrote all this I was like "Hm, page 20 huh?...best leave that other stuff for later."**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the Chapter! I love Team 7 so I felt they deserved a nice long chapter to themselves. Plus, it has some important character devlopment for future events, especially for...cough cough...never mind. **

**For my action-lovers...one more chapter before we get to the good stuff OK? Promise! Just let me have my fun with the characters for a little while longer, kay?**

**I'll try to write the next chapter asap! And from now on, I'm going to be posting updates for where I'm at in terms of chapter writing on my profile from now on. So if you're curious about my story's status, just check my profile. I figure it's more convenient and less tortuous for you guys than just blindly awaiting an update that could take anywhere from a week to half a year!**


	26. Interesting Discoveries Part 1

******Please enjoy Part 1 of this 2-part chapter. It was originally supposed to be posted altogether but it ended up being too long, and long chapters intimidate me as a reader so I decided to split it up. I hope it's to your liking!**

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_**Interesting Discoveries - Part 1**_

She was in a wash room. That much was obvious as the girl's evergreen orbs roamed the cramped space. It was barely large enough to hold the wide wash basin in the corner and more than two occupants at a time. The door to the place was opened to a crack, dimly lighting the room. As she pondered on her current location, not remembering how on earth she had got there specifically, the kunoichi had the faintest inkling that she been in this place before. Probing the darkest recesses of her mind for some fragments of recollection that would help her piece together her situation, she brushed a lock of pink hair from her face apprehensively, nothing useful stirring in her memory.

She instinctively knew, somehow, that the answers she sought were directly behind the door that was cracked open before her, almost teasing her to peer through it. But the girl was afraid. Every fiber of her being told her that opening that door was the last thing she wanted to do. Her fear was almost more overbearing than her growing curiosity of what lay behind the wooden obstruction that blocked her view of the other room.

Almost.

Her heart felt like it had swelled to the point where it was now knocking against her esophagus, making it even more laborious to breathe as she approached the eerie doorway. A dull corner of her psyche echoed a desperate warning but her body resisted its heeding, her sweaty palms drawn to the doorknob like a magnet. She moved slowly, carefully, painstakingly, diffidently. The tips of her fingers rested on the handle but did not curl over them in a grip. The young girl stood in silence, half-hoping that perhaps her mind and body could come to a mutual agreement by her just listening for sounds on the other side of the wooden board, rather than have the potential scenes in the next room invade her vision.

As she ruminated on the possible compromise, a piercing shriek sliced through her thoughts causing her to unthinkingly pull the door open harshly. As the wash room flooded with light, so too did the opened door trigger a wave of recollection.

Of course she knew where she was. How could she have forgotten? It was a place she had spent over half her life in, after all. The site she frequented in her nightmares.

The walls of the large living room were streamed with trails of fresh blood that glistened in the light from the opened front door of the house. Lifeless, grotesquely disfigured bodies of her relatives littered the floor, just as they had on that fateful day over 5 years ago. Her terrified eyes flitted around the room, taking in the familiar scene, until they rested on the looming figure in the center of the room. His hunched back was facing her as he towered over his latest victim. The girl could not make out who either one of them were, but the sequence had replayed in her mind during her slumbering enough times for her to make a good guess.

The fiend was straightening up now, making his way to turn to her just as he always did. However, the face that came into view was not that of the wild rogue ninja with the sinister black markings coating the better half of his body, like she remembered. This man was taller. She could not make out any symbols on his body either, because he was adorned with a full-bodied black coat with red clouds scattered on it. As the murderer's red eyes fell on the trembling kunoichi, the girl gasped in both surprise and recognition.

Uchiha Itachi was staring at her with the same stoic, arrogant indifference his eyes always held. The criminal tightened the right corner of his mouth into a malevolent smirk and stepped to the side, flaunting his quarry. Sakura was half-relieved upon realizing that it was not the lifeless body of her mother that lay sprawled before her. It was a boy. She squinted her eyes to examine him further. Although his hair was caked in blood, the few clean tufts of hair that were visible told her that he was blonde. He had a rather short stature, she noticed. He could not have been any older than she was. Scanning his heavily slashed and soiled orange jumpsuit, her eyes wandered back to his head. The girl's eyes widened in terror as she looked into the dull blue eyes that were staring unblinkingly at the ceiling.

"Na-"

The name caught in her throat as she attempted to choke the word out. Her mouth went dry, too dry to utter another sound. Instead it gaped open at the mangled form of her friend. She could not pry her eyes away from his, although she desperately wanted to.

_Naruto…Naruto…can't be…_ Processing the scene before her was the only mental operation her brain could perform at that moment. Her peripheral vision caught Itachi approaching her with his kunai bared in attack, but her mind could not register it.

He slowly came upon her, raising his weapon for yet another plunge. His prey stood stalk-still, not even sparing her executor a glance. Her eyes were glued forward and her legs anchored her like weights, ignoring her body's screaming instincts to escape. Just as the dagger began its final descent, there was a flash of movement.

With her reflexes severely lagging from both shock and despair, it took a few seconds and some sounds of a scuffle before Sakura's body reacted. She tore her eyes away from Naruto and to her left just in time to find Itachi lying with his face on the ground, and standing above him was not the figure of her father, which it often had been. The identity of her savior was none other than the third member of Team 7, Uchiha Sasuke. A flicker of hope lit her eyes as he looked at her with confidence.

However, as the seemingly defeated enemy began to stir, Sakura was hit by realization of the inevitable. Although some of the faces in this nightmare had changed, the results so far had been identical to a tee, which meant she knew what was coming next. Her heart, which had felt arrested in movement moments ago, was now thumping furiously beneath her breast as she screamed her warning to her teammate. But the girl was mute. Try as she might she could produce no sound from her vocal cords, accentuating her feeling of helplessness.

The dark figure rose from the ground in one fluid motion, but his form seemed different somehow. As he approached Sasuke from behind, the boy grabbed his left shoulder in pain as he recoiled forward in agony from the activation of his curse mark. The ninja wet his lips as he observed Sasuke with his yellow, slit eyes. The man took his time as he slithered toward the occupied genin, and as more light from the doorway fell on his face, it became clear who he really was. When he reached Sasuke, Orochimaru pressed his pale hands onto the boy's face, exposing the right side of his neck where his right jugular vein pulsed. He glanced forward at a frozen Sakura. He was baiting her, she knew, daring her to make some kind of desperate attempt to stop him. She was weak. He knew she would fail. He grasped his kunai and in another swift motion he tore through her teammate's neck, breaking skin, ripping through flesh, slicing blood vessels. Orochimaru gave Sakura another wicked smile as Sasuke's lifeless body slumped to the floor, his obsidian eyes on his last surviving teammate.

_N-No…this…no…_ A tear escaped each eye and left a wet trail down each cheek. _No…SASUKE!_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sakura's body jerked upright from her nightmarish slumber, her chest heaving with exaggerated effort as she gasped for oxygen. Both hands were tightly clamped onto her sheets, jittering terribly while her brow was beaded with the same cold sweat that soaked her sleeping vestments. She placed a steadying hand to her right temple as she processed her latest night-terror. _It was just a dream, _she repeated over and over again to herself as visions of her dead teammates flickered across her mind. She gritted her teeth as she thought of their empty faces. _Only a dream…stop shaking Sakura, it was only a dream…_

She glanced down at her mangled sheets in an effort to distract herself. They were damp with sweat as well, and torn in several places. She shook her head with disappointment. She had not had a nightmare that provoked her to cause so much destruction to her resting place since she first returned to Konoha.

She sighed and brushed a wet lock of hair from her face as she got out of her futon. There was no way she could manage to fall back asleep after an experience like that. She parted her curtains at her window and examined the sky. It was still rather dark, but there was a pink hue to the blackness and Sakura estimated it must have been about 5am. She took a calming breath as her eyes veered away from the windowpane and rested on the photo that stood resolute on the table below it. She raised the frame closer to her face and touched the faces of her friends tenderly. _It was just a horrible dream, that's all…_

She put the frame back down and headed into her bathroom for her morning shower. Not being in any particular hurry since she was up so obscenely early, she took her time as she allowed the hot water to wash over her face and body. When she was finished, she got dressed and went back to her bedroom window.

_It must be almost 6 by now_, she thought as she noted the pink sky that was touched with sparse rays of yellow. _It's still another couple hours before I'm supposed to meet up with Naruto and Sasuke for the ceremony…_ Her stomach gave a small spasm at the thought of her friends. She balled her right hand into a fist and shook her head. _Stop it, Sakura,_ she consoled herself_, it wasn't real…no matter how it felt._

With the memory of her nighttime ordeal still fresh in her memory and numbing the usual pangs of hunger she felt in the early hours of the day, Sakura skipped breakfast and climbed out her window and onto the partial roof that stood below her bedroom window. Her arms curled around her legs, hugging her folded knees to her chest. Outwardly, she was looking out at the apartment complexes that surrounded her building and the empty streets between them. However her mind was not registering much of what she was seeing. Her thoughts were too occupied by other things to notice.

_Why?…Why did I have a dream like that? I mean, ending up back in the Rock Village and watching my entire family getting slaughtered…well that I'm used to…__**too**__ used to, _she added with an air of remorse. _And now Sasuke and Naruto start showing up. _She dug her nails lightly into her skin as she closed her eyes in reflection. _I just can't get their faces out of my head. Why did it have to feel so real…?_

The kunoichi took a few soothing breaths, ignoring the oppressing thoughts circling her consciousness and enjoying the tranquility of the early morning. Without her vision or deliberations to distract her, her other senses began to pick up more facets of her surroundings. The air was damp, she could tell; the scent of the dewed grass on the sides of the buildings indicated that. The birds which had awakened by the sparse rays of sunlight were already chirping their melodious songs to each other. A cool, gentle breeze was whispering though the air, softly caressing Sakura's skin as it passed. Her mood seemed to almost resonate with the quiescent atmosphere, causing her disconcerting thoughts to become temporarily pacified.

With her environmental tonic proving a success, Sakura's raised her eyelids to welcome the sight of her neighborhood once again. However, as she became reacquainted with her vision, she took in an unexpected sight as her newly revealed emerald eyes instantly met a pair of onyx ones. Sakura blinked back for a second, as did the other set of eyes, after which time she immediately recoiled backwards in shock, falling on her side with her hand on her chest to steady her racing heart.

"S-Sasuke," said the pink-haired chuunin breathlessly, "w-what on earth are you doing here?"

Sasuke did not flinch in the slightest, but continued eyeing his teammate curiously with his brow raised. "What's the matter with you?"

By this point, Sakura was beginning to feel slightly annoyed. _He_ was the one who was here at her complex so early in the morning and was staring at her straight in the face just moments ago, and yet _she_ was the one with the problem? She gave her teammate a deadpanned look. "Excuse me, but I think I'm the one who should be asking you that."

Sasuke ignored her statement, and continued looking at her seriously. "Is something wrong, Sakura?"

Sakura tilted her head in reaction, her previous feelings of annoyance towards her friend evaporating. He could sense something was wrong with her, she knew it. He would not have looked so worried if he didn't. Was she that obvious? She felt much better now, but how long had her sharp-eyed friend been watching her on that rooftop?

She tore her eyes away from his gaze as she tsked. "Geez, Sasuke can't a girl just sit outside and enjoy the sunrise without there being something wrong? Dawn is my favorite time of the day, you know." Her statements as they were, taken out of context, were not lies per se. She half-hoped that if she intermingled enough truth into her response, then she might actually sound believable.

He continued looking at her for a while before he eased his glare a bit, indicating that he accepted her answer, or was at least not going to push her more for the truth. Sakura gave a mental sigh of relief and continued. "Now your turn. Why exactly are you here, Sasuke? We aren't supposed to be meeting up for at least another half hour or so." She hoped her questions did not sound as rude as she thought. But then, she remembered, it was Sasuke she was talking to. Although admittedly she was being very direct, Sasuke wasn't the type to take offense by something like that.

He paused for a moment and then reached into his pouch for something. He hesitated slightly before turning his head away from hers as he presented her with a the item he had procured from his bag.

It was a book.

Sakura gazed at it for a moment, trying to discern what exactly he was doing with it. The text itself did not seem too extraordinary as far as she could tell. It was about 5" by 8" in size and had plain black bindings. No title was visible on the hard cover. Sakura continued staring at the handbook when Sasuke spoke. "Well, aren't you going to take it?" His tone was a bit rough and impatient, almost embarrassed.

Sakura looked up at him but his face was still averted from hers. "You mean…this is for…_me_?" She pointed at herself for emphasis, although Sasuke was still looking away.

"Tch. Well if you don't want it-"

"No that's not it," she said hastily, holding onto the book just as her friend was about to retract it from her view. They were both grasping the pocket book and Sasuke finally turned to face his friend. He seemed weary of her reaction, but relaxed slightly when she saw the warm smile that graced her lips. "I love it. Thank you."

Sasuke withdrew his hand slowly before stuffing it coolly into his pocket. "Yeah, it's no big deal."

Now that it was in her possession, Sakura traced her hand over the emblem on the side cover that she had not noticed before. It was the only marking on the entire outside of the book, the Uchiha emblem. "Sasuke, what is this book anyway?"

"It's just an old text that was lying around my house." He was talking with the same level of importance in his voice as one uses to comment on the weather. "You mentioned you were interested in learning about genjutsu, didn't you?"

The kunoichi's head snapped upwards in gleeful surprise. "This is a book about genjutsu?" Sasuke gave an affirmative grunt. "But doesn't it belong to the Uchiha clan? Why are you giving this to me?"

Sasuke turned his head away again as he spoke. "Look it's nothing special, OK. It just has some tips about casting genjutsu. It doesn't have any of our clan's secrets or anything. Plus I'm the sole heir to our family's possessions. I can do whatever I want with them."

Sakura eyes fell back to the text in her hands as she gazed at it in awe, another smile decorating her face. Sasuke gave a quick glance at what his silent friend was doing and tightened his lips into a smirk before he looked away again.

"So is this why you came here so early?" Her eyes returned to her teammate's, as did his.

"Yeah, well I was going to just drop it at your front door."

Sakura chuckled lightly. "Were you that afraid of seeing my reaction?"

"Tch" was all he said before he turned his head away in defiance. His facial expression was unfazed, however the back of his neck had an embarrassed red hue to it.

The young girl gave another giggle. "Well books are just about my favorite things in the world, so honestly I would have loved anything. But the fact that it's about genjutsu is just an added bonus. Still…" A hint of bewilderment floated into her voice as she rested the book on her side. "…why are you bringing this to me? I mean, what's the occasion?"

"Consider it a gift for making chuunin. And you did mention last night that you were interested in learning how to defend against genjutsu. And the best way to know how to recognize and deflect it is to know how to cast them yourself." His voice remained in a steady monotone the entire time he spoke. "Besides, if you're going to insist on butting heads against my brother, you might as well be a little prepared. You're no use to our team if you get taken out by some silly illusion."

"So…you were worried about me." She said this with a smirk. He never could hide his true intentions from her, no matter how practical his explanations sounded to an unseasoned observer.

"Tch. Think what you want," he retorted, the redness at the back of his neck returning.

"You know, it isn't a crime to care about your friends, Sasuke," she mused to herself. "Why don't you have a seat." The girl patted a place on her right side lightly. Sasuke hesitated a bit. "Oh come on. You don't have enough time to go anywhere else before the ceremony. Now have seat."

Sasuke eventually complied and sat gracefully on the clay-like roof beside his teammate. They said nothing more to each other after that. It was a friendly sort of silence which they both enjoyed.

There weren't many people that Uchiha Sasuke could stand being around longer than he needed to. And when he actually was around others, he preferred to keep quiet. But the silence he kept with Sakura this morning was different from what he often had with others. It was easier and more comfortable somehow. Perhaps it was because she was a person of few words herself, so that the quietness just seemed less forced, more natural. He was not sure. But he could not deny that, try as he might to resist or act otherwise, he did care for the girl. She related to him on a level that no one else had since his family was still alive. Just knowing that someone was out there who went through the same sufferings as he had was enough to make him feel like he no longer was alone in this world.

In fact, the same could have been said about his feelings for Team 7 as well. To be sure, Naruto was always entertaining to watch and poke fun at. But as idiotic as he seemed, his high regard for his friends helped remind Sasuke of the real value and importance of friendship which he had long forgotten. And Kakashi was the closest thing to parental supervision he had had for quite a while now. He wouldn't go so far as to refer to him as a father figure, but it was nice having a grown-up who paid you as much attention, guidance and care as a parent was supposed to, even though it was technically his job.

Indeed, Team 7 had become somewhat of a family of sorts and, without him ever realizing it, he had become an irreplaceable part of it. He felt concern for them more than he wished to admit, but he was torn.

Every step closer to Team 7 took him two steps away from his revenge against Itachi, and this conflicted him. Perhaps Sakura was right after all. Maybe his entire vengeful obsession was his way of punishing himself for getting to keep his life while his loved ones did not. The idea did not sound too foreign. And she had said that the death of her family's killer did not ease her loss in the slightest. It should follow that he would feel the same way, shouldn't it? But then, the Haruno family's executioner was not a member of her own clan. Sakura did not know the sting of betrayal that he lived with. Was that what made them different?

This was the same internal argument Sasuke carried within himself since he last faced Itachi. Nothing could describe the hatred that he felt for his brother when he laid eyes on him after so many years. He expected that kind of reaction in himself. What he had not counted on were the feelings that bubbled over within him when he discovered Itachi was after Naruto, and when the criminal had cast a genjutsu on Sakura. As much as he fought for his revenge at that time, what drove his assault forward was his desperation to keep his teammates safe. Since when did his vengeance come second to the safety of his friends? It was this realization that triggered his internal conflict. He was struggling to come to some kind of conscious decision about where his loyalties lied.

Although unsure of where he stood, he knew one thing for certain: he could not bare the thought of his friends in danger, and he would do all he could to keep them safe, no matter what it took.

"I think it's about time now," said Sakura, her voice drawing Sasuke out of his thoughts. She picked up her new book and stretched her body to the sky as she stood up. "We should probably head out to meet with Naruto."

Normally the mentioning of his most irritating teammate would have been his cue to make a comment about Naruto's annoyance or idiocy. However, Sasuke's deliberations distracted him enough so that he simply answered with a "Yeah" as he lifted himself from the floor as well.

"Oh, I should probably pack this in my room before we get going," added Sakura, shaking the black book in her hands. She climbed up to her window and reached her hand inside the opening to place the book on the table below the window sill. The text slammed onto the tabletop, and a split second later the sound of glass hitting floorboards sounded. "Oh geez…"

Sakura hopped higher and maneuvered her body into the window to view the damage. Curious as to what happened, Sasuke followed after her and they were now both standing in Sakura's room. Sakura was holding a picture frame in her hands. "Was that what dropped?" asked Sasuke, pointing to the item in her hands.

"Yeah," she responded offhandedly, examining the frame. "It was on my bedside table. I should have been more careful when I was putting the book down. It knocked it over. Thankfully it's OK though."

Sakura rested the photo onto the wooden furniture, revealing that it was a photograph of Team 7. Sasuke gave a small smile as he saw it. "You keep that at your bedside too?"

The pink-haired kunoichi turned to her teammate. "Er…yeah, I do. Wait…are you saying you do it too?" Saskura looked at him knowingly and Sasuke scoffed and turned away.

"Tch. Well, what I meant was…well I think the dobe mentioned he put his picture next to where he slept too. Looks like you're just as big a loser as he is."

Sakura shook her head in exasperation. Avoiding her eyes out of pride, Sasuke glanced around the room, taking in its quaint features, before his eyes rested on her futon and the tattered sheets that sprawled over it. "Rough night?" he asked, pointing at the chaotic bundle of cloth. "How on earth did you manage to do this to your bed."

Sakura eyed the sheets with a melancholy expression on her face as she recalled the cause of her mangled futon. She then turned to Sasuke with a forced smile. "U-um, yeah. Let's just say we had a disagreement and the futon lost, haha." Sasuke raised his brow, clearly unconvinced that this was the entire story. Sakura waved her hand in dismissal. "Just forget it. It's not important at all. Anyway, it's getting close to that time so we should get moving. Wouldn't want to keep Naruto waiting. You know how much he already hates it when Kakashi-sensei is tardy."

Given the fact that their time of departure was quickly upon them, Sasuke decided not to press this issue further. He was not one to pry in another person's business anyway, although the whisper of concern in his mind was tempting him to do otherwise. Sasuke nodded and sprung nimbly out the opened window.

Before leaping after him, Sakura glimpsed back one more time at her futon and clenched her fist tightly. _No…I won't ever let anyone take those two away from me…_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sakura and Sasuke met up with Naruto shortly afterwards and the trio made their way to the center of the village where the ceremony was being held. There were scores of people already assembled at the grounds, anxiously awaiting the elders and their newest Hokage to appear and give their speeches. On the periphery of the crowds, there were various vendors assembled who were selling everything from refreshments and snacks to souvenirs. This was a joyous occasion for the Leaf Village as it had gone over three weeks without anyone to fill the void made by the passing of the Sandaime and everyone came out to celebrate the event.

Sakura had never seen so many people gathered in one place before, and the wave of intermingled voices that erupted from the grounds was a bit overwhelming. It took her ears some time to tune out so many loud sounds before she could make out what her companions were saying.

"…all gonna be gathered here one day for me when _I_ become the Hokage!" exclaimed Naruto enthusiastically, a wide grin adorning his face. He seemed even more charged and excited this morning than normal. Sakura nodded happily in response and Sasuke gave his usual smirk.

As they weaseled their way through the onlookers to find a suitable spot where they could hear the Hokage's first address, Sakura felt a soft ball of cotton sweep against her legs. She reflexively looked downwards, discovering that it was not a wad of cotton, as she had thought, but a dog. "Hey, it's Akamaru," announced Sakura as said puppy jumped into her arms and licked her face in salutation.

"And where there's Akamaru…" started Sasuke.

"There's Kiba!" shouted Naruto, pointing out at the chocolate-haired, dog-loving genin.

Kiba gave a very Naruto-like grin as he waved at them and walked to where they were standing, his two teammates in tow. "Looks like Hinata and Shino are with him too," commented Sakura, Akamaru still wagging his tail excitedly in her arms.

"Hey Kiba," said Naruto as Team 8 reached near them, "you should take better care of your animals. You woulda totally lost your dog here if it weren't for Sakura-chan."

"Ch…you better watch what you say, Naruto. Akamaru never does anything I don't want him to. I knew exactly where he was the whole time; he just wanted to say hi to Sakura. He still hasn't forgotten the way you saved him on that last mission we had together before the chuunin exams." Kiba turned to Sakura as he said the last part, his tone much softer than when he was berating Naruto.

"Hmf," grunted Naruto. "Well maybe he came over here to see Konaha's future Hokage. Heya, Akamaru…" Naruto was reaching his hand out to pet the small canine, when said dog suddenly gave a low, fierce growl and bit at the blonde's hand, barely missing his fingers.

"AH HEY!" yelped Naruto as he jumped comically into Sasuke's arms, pointing an unsteady accusatory finger at the white ball of fur. "Sakura-chan, you should let go of that thing right now! That dog's a monster! Aren't you training that animal at all, Kiba?"

Kiba doubled over with laughter. "Hahaha, nice one Akamaru!" He rubbed the back of his puppy's ears affectionately. "It's like I told'ya, my dog never does anything I wouldn't want him to do. He won't attack you Sakura, he actually _likes_ you, though I can't say the same for your that knucklehead of a teammate of yours." Kiba seemed very pleased at his charge's behavior, and Sakura had to suppress a giggle at the scene.

Before Naruto could utter another word, he suddenly found himself spreadeagled onto the ground at Sasuke's feet. "OUCH! Hey what did you do that for, teme!" he yelled, soothing the back of his head with his hand as he lifted himself from the floor.

Sasuke looked at him through squinted eyes. His facial expression was blank and stony, but Sakura could tell he was not too happy with his blonde teammate. "I. Am. Not. Your. Lap dog. Dobe." He barely got the words through his gritted teeth, and the snarl of words that came out rivaled that of Akamaru.

For fear of life, Naruto took a few cautionary steps away from the Uchiha, his arms up in peaceful surrender. Sakura shook her head in amusement. _Poor Naruto…_

"S-So, h-how are you a-all?" came a tiny voice beside Kiba. They all turned their attention to the source of the question and found Hinata, blushing heavily back at them.

"Oh, we're OK," answered Naruto, his cheerful tone re-emerging after his near-death experience. "How about you all?"

Hinata responded by demonstrating a rainbow of pink shades from her cheeks before they eventually went red. Sakura did not quite understand the response, but Kiba gave an exasperated sigh as Shino answered, "We're good. Just waiting for the ceremony to be over."

"Yeah. Same here," replied Naruto. "I can't believe there are so many people here. What're you guys doin' later though."

Kiba furrowed his eyebrows in confusion before a look of realization fell upon his face and he smirked in amusement. "Oh wait, Ino hasn't hit you guys yet, has she." He was stating a fact rather than inquiring one.

Team 7 looked wearily at each other and turned back to the other group of genin. Whatever that ambiguous statement meant, Ino's name was involved. And that couldn't mean anything good.

"W-What do you mean by that, Kiba?" Fear was laced in every word Naruto uttered.

Kiba chuckled to himself. "My advice to you guys is to avoid her at all costs today. Get out while you still can."

"But why should we-"

"HEY GUYS!" came a loud, enthusiatic feminine voice.

_Too late… _they all thought, as the female member of Team 10 came rushing to their side. Sakura noted curiously that Neji and Ten Ten were being towed in each arm as she skipped towards them. Chouji and Shikamaru were walking leisurely after them, the lazy chuunin looking even more annoyed and bothered than usual.

"So, what's up everyone?" inquired Ino sweetly. _Maybe too sweetly_, thought Sakura.

On her right, Ten Ten was looking a bit flushed and Neji on her left was standing with his arms folded and lips screwed together tightly. Clearly neither of them wanted to be there. What was Ino up to?

"Wow, this is a pretty big day isn't it?" commented Ino as her eyes scanned the crowds of people surrounding them. "I've never seen so many people altogether. Although, I'm sure the village elders aren't going to keep us all here forever." On the surface, the conversation seemed casual enough, but Sakura couldn't help but feel that it all sounded a bit rehearsed. "So, you guys have any plans for today?"

"You already know what _we're_ doing," answered Kiba, a bit begrudgingly.

Ino's smile did not falter at the genin's tone as her eyes shifted to the only female chuunin of the group. "What about you, Sakura? You and your team doing anything special later?"

Despite the cheerful expression on the blonde girl's face and the honey in her voice, Sakura couldn't help but wince at her question. Ino was fishing for a response, she was sure of it. A wise person would probably have tested the waters with a well fashioned fib. However not fancying herself a liar, especially since she was no good at it, Sakura sighed and answered, "No, I can't say we've got anything planned for the day."

Ino nodded and turned to the genin on her right. "What about you, Ten Ten?"

The brunette exhaled noisily. "Neji and I are going to be at the hospital today."

Ino gave a forced gasp, clearly feigning surprise. "Why, whatever for?"

There was a quiet pause after which Neji grunted loudly from being elbowed in the ribs. "Lee is having his surgery today and we will be remaining in the waiting room until it is over."

_Lee's having his surgery?_ thought Sakura. _So he decided to go through with it after all. And it's today?_

Ino's response echoed Sakura's mental one. "Really? He's getting it done today? Aw, and you guys are going to wait for him. That's so sweet. I'm sure just knowing that the people who care most about him are waiting for him is going to make such a difference in terms of his recovery! Am I right?"

Ino turned to Shikamaru for support, her lips still curved into a smile. The chuunin looked back at her indifferently and there was a silent staring contest going on between them for a while, Ino's smile becoming more contorted and strained every second that slipped by. Shikamaru sighed in defeated. "Yeah, in fact I bet the more people out there waiting for him, the better he'll do." Unlike Ino, the boy made no effort to conceal the fact that his words were predetermined.

Sudden realization hit Sakura as she witnessed the exchange. She knew what was coming next.

"Hey, I bet you're right, Shikamaru," said Ino victoriously. "Say, since no one's doing anything today how about we all go and support Tema Guy by waiting with them during the surgery. We've gotta support them, after all they're part of the Konoha 12! What do you say everyone?" Ino thrusted her fist into the sky passionately.

So that was Ino's game. Of all of them, Ino and Lee were probably the most enthusiastic when it came to their unofficial group, the Konoha 12. And being Ino, it would make sense that she would arrange for the whole "team" to gather in support of their fellow ninja…whether they wanted to or not. She was certainly insistent enough to drag Neji and Ten Ten along so that she could lay on the guilt for those who would refuse her. Sakura half wondered if that was perhaps how she got Shino and Kiba to agree.

"Weeeeeeell?" asked Ino eagerly.

Sakura blinked back and turned to her teammates. They exchanged you-know-we-can't-get-out-of this-one looks with each other and turned back to the saucy genin, relenting to her wish. "Yeah…we'll go with you guys," answered Sakura. Even without Ino's insistence, Sakura knew she would have gone anyway. It would be nice, she supposed, that they could all be there for Lee and the rest of Team Guy.

Ino gave an excited squeal. "Yeah, awesome!" She did another fist-pump. "Hey, after the ceremony we should all go out to lunch and then just head over together to the hospital! That's when his surgery is scheduled."

"Hey, can we go out for ramen!" inquired Naruto, his eyes twinkling with excitement.

Ino sweat-dropped at the other blonde's pleading gaze. "U-um…yeah sure Naruto. Whatever you want. As long as you all come."

"Well _we_ can," said Sasuke, "but not Sakura." Ino frowned and turned to the pink-haired chuunin. Sakura furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and looked to Sasuke. "Don't you even remember? You have that meeting right after the inauguration..."

The kunoichi gasped. "…with Tsunade-sama!" Sasuke nodded, a slightly amused look in his eye. Sakura gave herself a mental slap. Despite the turmoil that her mind was thrown into after her horrible nightmare last night, it was no excuse to forget a meeting with her Hokage.

"You have a meeting with Hokage-sama?" asked Neji in amazement as he gave a half-smile. "That's really impressive, Sakura. It must be quite important for her to meet with you the very day she becomes our Hokage."

Sakura outwardly smiled back at Neji, who meant his statement as a compliment. However inwardly, her empty stomach was giving intermittent pulls of nervousness as Sakura was being reminded of the unknown significance of her meeting with the sannin.

Before anyone spoke another word, the crowd exploded in applause and the young ninja snapped their heads upwards as they found the source of the excitement. Tsunade was standing proudly atop the Hokage tower donning the Hokage hat. "Citizens of Konoha," annouced Tsunade, removing her hat. "…from this day forward, I promise to govern and safeguard this village…as your 5th Hokage!"

The audience roared in appreciation and it took several minutes before they were quiet enough for the elders to dismiss everyone.

"Hey, what a second. That's _it_?" asked Naruto, disappointed at the anticlimactic turn of events. The Konoha 12 (minus Lee) were walking away from the dissipating crowd. "We were waiting out here longer than it took for the actual thing to be over."

"You weren't paying enough attention," said Shikamaru in his usual drawn-out voice. "They'd been on top of that roof for almost 20 minutes before Tsunade-sama made her final address to the whole crowd. She was making the oath with the elders and stuff like that. We were just too far away to hear anything. Not like we missed anything too important anyway."

Naruto pouted as the ninja rounded the first corner toward the restaurant. "I guess I have to get going," piped Sakura. Everyone stopped and turned to face her.

"It sucks you have to go," said Kiba, Akamaru barking in agreement.

"Yeah," added Ino, "Lee was supposed to stop by for a bit too. It won't be a gathering of the Konoha 12 without you."

"Well there'll be other times we can all hang out together," said Chouji hopefully. "I really hope your meeting goes well, Sakura." He gave a soft smile which Sakura reciprocated.

"Thanks, Chouji. And I'm really sorry everyone. If it ends early enough then I'll be sure to come find you guys."

"You better," said Ino mockingly threatening.

They all nodded and waved good-bye as Sakura headed for the Hokage tower.

* * *

**Ok so here's the thing...like I mentioned, Chapter 25 was orginally supposed to be posted in one but by the time I got done, I reached like page 38 and I was like "Hahaha, yeah definitely not putting all this up at once." So here is the first part for ya! I know it might seem a bit slow, but it makes a lot more sense when you take part 2 into context, trust me.**

**Now here's the catch, I do have the rest of this written out, edited and everything...but I kinda don't wanna post it until I get a good number of reviews for this one first. I know, I'm shameless but what can I say? I just appreciate you guys' feedback that much!**

**So once I get enough reviews for this one, I'll post part 2 right away, promise! In the meantime, I have a pressing question for you guys...**

**I've been working on being more descriptive (hence why my chapters have been coming out way longer than I've been meaning them to lately) and I think my writing has sorta improved since I first started this story, but what do you think? Am I putting in too much detail and boring you, or describing just enough to give the story some quality?**

**Please let me know what you think. I love reading your reviews! It motivates me to update quickly and make great chapters!**

**Next time...some more "Interesting Discoveries" get made...**


	27. Interesting Discoveries Part 2

**Wow...thank you guys so much for all the reviews! I appreciate all of your feedback! The story's officially raked up over 300 reviews and I'm sooo happy ^_^ **

**I won't delay you with any more of my A/N's until after the chapter so please enjoy Part 2!**

* * *

_**Interesting Discoveries - Part 2**_

When she entered the Hokage Tower and walked to the top floor, there was no one present to escort her into Tsunade's office so Sakura hesitated slightly as she reached the door leading to into the room. _Do I just go in? Well she did say after the ceremony so…_ The pink-haired chuunin pulled in a bracing breath and opened the door.

She entered the room, her eyes immediately falling on the object directly ahead of her. The Hokage's desk was littered with papers, while stacks of others lay haphazardly packed on the floor to the right of the desk. Sakura noticed something else on the desk as well…the head of a blonde-haired woman lying face down. Sakura raised a concerned eyebrow as she heard unintelligible grumblings coming from the defeated figure.

Suddenly, the head of the new Hokage snapped upwards and, not seeming to have noticed the young kunoichi's presence, began her rant. "The ink hasn't even dried on the friggin' Hokage contract thing I signed this morning and I'm already up to my ears in paperwork! It's those old village officials, I tell 'ya…tryin' to scare me off the job my first day in! Why if I had my way, I'd have just taken the legs off'a this desk here and shove it right up each one of their- ….oh, Sakura, I-I didn't see you come in…"

Tsunade smiled as sweetly as she could in response to the rather intimidated expression Sakura had on her face.

Silence…

Sakura - eyes unblinking, eyebrow raised, mouth partially open in awe; Tsunade – eyes closed in a large, toothy smile.

There was a silent beat before Sakura coughed uncomfortably. "I-I apologize for taking you by surprise like that, Tsunade-sama. U-um… i-it's just that, well there wasn't anyone at the door…a-and you said you wanted to see me right after the ceremony…a-and…"

Tsunade waved her hand, an amused expression on her face. "Relax, Sakura. Yes of course I knew you were coming. It's just been a very, um, _trying_ morning to say the least. Please come in."

Sakura bowed. "Yes, Tsunade-sama." She closed the door and walked to the front of the Hokage's desk.

"Now Sakura," she started, reclining into her chair. "the reason I called you here today is because I need your help with something."

Sakura blinked back in shock, and it took her a few moments to realize that Tsunade was waiting for a response before she replied, "U-um, ok I'm listening."

"You recall that while on our journey together, we came across Orochimaru?"

Sakura stiffened at the sound of the snake-sannin's name and gave a small shudder as she remembered the incident in question. She nodded grimly. "Yeah…yes I remember…" _So this was about Orochimaru after all,_ she thought. _Is he coming after me again?_

Tsunade seemed to have read her thoughts as she said, "Not to worry, Sakura. This has nothing to do with that horrible man." _Or should I say slimy pedophile,_ thought Tsunade harshly. Sakura exhaled a breath she did not realize she was holding and the Hokage continued. "As you would recall, he believed your blood possessed regenerative powers. That was why he wanted to use that blood to heal his injuries." Tsunade sat forward onto her desk and clasped her hands in front of her. "If you would allow it, I would like to use that same principle on Lee."

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows as she processed what the sannin had just stated. "So…you're saying that you want to heal Lee using my blood? Would it be that simple?"

"You mean, you would let me to use your blood to help treat him? I am not issuing you an order as your Hokage to do this, Sakura. I am only asking."

Sakura looked at her confusingly. "What do you mean? Of course you can use my blood to treat him. But would it really work?"

Tsunade gave a small smile, although it was not visible to Sakura behind the sannin's clasped hands. She found it rather amusing that Sakura seemed aghast and almost insulted that the Hokage would even think that she could refuse to help her friend. "It isn't going to be as simple as injecting your blood and having it do all the work. I've done some intensive research and have increased the odds of the surgery being a success to up to 58%."

"Is that what you were doing with that book yesterday?" inquired Sakura, speaking her mental question aloud as she recalled the day she was with Lee at the bridge and found Tsunade on one of the rooftops intently reading an extremely thick text.

"Yes, and it's funny you should mention that. While I was reading, I noticed you had cut your finger on something. You remember?" Sakura's cheeks reddened with embarrassment as that memory entered her thoughts. She nodded weakly. "Yes, well seeing your blood reminded me of our encounter with Orochimaru and it got me thinking…" Sakura raised her brow curiously, abandoning her disconcerting feelings. "Currently, the chances of the surgery being a success are 58%. However…I believe performing a blood transfusion during the operation with your blood may help increase these odds further still. This is only a theory, mind you, however if Orochimaru were willing to do it then it must be worth a try at least."

Sakura took a pensive pause as she chewed over all that was said. 58% was a much more hopeful percentage that 50. _Nothing less from Tsunade-sama_, thought Sakura. And now her blood could increase Lee's chances of survival even more? Sakura's heart felt so much lighter at this thought. "Just tell me what I need to do."

Tsunade lowered her clasped hands onto the desk, revealing a proud smile. "My assistant should be here any minute to escort you to the hospital and draw your blood. You can just wait outside in the hallway for her."

Sakura nodded, but before she turned to leave, she was struck by a thought which cemented her feet to the floor. She had always wondered about the strange way her body would rapidly heal her fatal injuries after battles. It had already happened twice as far as she could recall: once in the Wave country, and again during the training exercise with the Konoha 12. And since Tsunade was a world-class medical ninja, perhaps she would be able to provide some insight.

"U-um, Tsunade-sama. Could I ask you a something?" The woman tilted her head to the side curiously, indicating that she was listening. "W-Well I was wondering…um…well why is my blood so special like that? I mean, I get the logic of transfusing my blood to offer the recipient the same healing benefits that I have, but where do my healing abilities come from in the first place?"

Tsunade smirked in amusement at her question. "Well you are a member of the Haruno clan, aren't you?" The chuunin cocked her head to the side in bewilderment, not seeing the connection between her family name and her healing powers. The sannin's expression became more grave. "Hasn't anyone told you about your own heritage?"

Sakura shook her head, still extremely perplexed. "Are you saying this is some kind of kekkai genkai or something?"

Tsunade leaned backwards into her chair. "No, not exactly. What I'm talking about is your clan's inherent connection to nature."

"Our connection…to nature?" repeated Sakura.

Tsunade nodded. "It isn't an ability that manifests in the body, but in the spirit, the chakra. Because you can't find evidence of it in the body postmortem, it isn't considered a kekkai genkai, and the way it gets passed down is poorly understood. People refer to your clan's particular trait as _rinku_ - the link."

"And…well what does it mean exactly?"

Tsunade sighed lightly and joined her hands at the back of her neck as she reclined her head. She was lost in recollection for a moment before she spoke again. "The ways it presents are normally quite subtle, which is also why people don't consider it a real kekkai genkai. There are several ways it can demonstrate in an individual, and they all stem from a connection between the person's chakra system and the life force of the universe surrounding them. The most direct application is using rinku to connect with the elements to perform jutsu. That's probably why most members of the Haruno clan were very adept earth-style users."

"Well that sort of sounds like the way I use water-style justu. Connecting with the surrounding water to perform the jutsu. I thought that was how everyone did it?"

"No. Your way is a lot more efficient because you're resonating your own chakra with the water's energy, using the combined energy to manipulate it. Other ninja rely solely on their own chakra for their jutsu." Tsunade looked from the ceiling to Sakura as she sat back upright. "I heard you were skilled with water jutsu, but I just assumed you got that from your mother. I suppose it's more like a little bit from both parents then." The woman gave a small smile, however Sakura shifted her eyes away from her gaze.

It was difficult at times for her to talk about her family, and discovering new things about her heritage from a stranger did not help matters. The feelings she struggled with now were the same ones that had surfaced when Tsunade had told her that her mother was a ninja. She had such vague memories of her parents as it was. Having to learn of deeper truths about them from someone else just increased the distance she felt between herself and her family.

The blonde woman gave a concerned look and was about to say something when Sakura turned back to her and spoke. "So, um, what else can they…er, _we_…do? And how do you know all these things, Tsunade-sama? I've never come across any book explaining anything like this in any literature."

"Yes, well the Haruno clan isn't of the Land of Fire originally so there wouldn't be any documentation of such an ambiguously manifested ability in the Leaf Village. I only came across this when a medical text I was reading hinted at the supposed use of Haruno blood as an anti-aging remedy." Tsunade coughed abruptly. "Ehm…not that I myself was interested in it, but I simply found it medically interesting," she recovered. "You see, one of the manifestations is regeneration. And this leads to abilities such as accelerated healing and greater longevity of life. But there are other documented abilities that sprung up, like sensing the life forces of others to judge character, detect emotions, sense injuries or people's locations, tracking. Some can actually manipulate other people's emotions as well, impose seduction, alter perception, and the list goes on and on. Most normally use that to their advantage when casting genjutsu actually."

The pink-haired kunoichi was going into information overload by this point, her eyes frozen open by the bulk of facts being presented to her. "Sakura, are you all right? You know, this doesn't mean that your gong to suddenly possess all these abilities yourself. Even with training, you'd probably only have one or two anyway."

Sakura blinked back. "Oh…really?" She sighed, taking some comfort in knowing her entire life as she knew it wasn't going to go through some drastic change that instant. "That's a relief. So I guess mine's just regeneration then?"

"Perhaps. You see, most only present with abilities after they have perfected rinku through years of meditation training. It's quite impressive that you can do so much with your power still raw."

Sakura shrugged. "Well I can only rapidly heal fatal injuries, so I suppose it would make sense that it would only kick in during life-threatening situations. Right?"

Tsunade placed a pensive hand on her chin. "Still it must be quite potent in you. I wonder which of the other ways it'll show up."

Sakura re-examined her mental notes of what Tsunade had told her of rinku. _Hm…well I can't see where anything she just said refers to me, other than the regeneration and using it for my jutsu. Except…well I do always get this strange feeling in the pit of my stomach when I look into people's eyes and they're lying to me. Could that be something? A ninja lie-detector…that does have possibilities…_

"In any case, Sakura, you shouldn't worry too much about it. Perhaps you could pursue this avenue of training later on, but for now let's focus on helping Lee, all right? Don't over think this." The woman ended with a very warm smile that made Sakura slightly uncomfortable for some reason.

_Why does this woman intimidate me so much? Even when she's being nice she makes me nervous._

Sakura smiled back as best she could and was about to walk out when another questioning thought that lingered in her subconscious slammed into her once again, forcing her feet to the floor for the second time.

Her mother. Sakura told herself that the first moment that presented itself, she would question the sannin about the reasons for her mother's discontinuation as a shinobi and departure from Konoha.

Just as the girl parted her lips to speak, a slim woman with short black hair barged into the room. She was quite breathless but did not hesitate in addressing the Hokage. "Tsunade-sama (pant) most of the (pant) arrangements for Lee's surgery have been (pant) taken care of. Will we be preparing (pant) the blood transfusion as well?"

"Breathe, Shizune. Relax. I know you had a lot to prepare today with the ceremony this morning and then the operation later today, but you must calm down." Tsunade smirked and the panting woman, Shizune, nodded as she inhaled deeply. "And yes, the blood transfusion will be taking place. As I told you earlier, I had little doubt that our volunteer would refuse. Sakura, meet my assistant and former apprentice, Shizune. She arrived in Konoha just last night."

Sakura turned to the now less breathless woman and she in turn shifted towards the chuunin, shock in her eyes as she hadn't realized anyone else was in the room. Sakura bowed in acknowledgement while Shizune smiled excitedly as she hustled over to the young ninja. "Sakura-chan, it is so nice to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you. You were right, Tsunade-sama. She looks exactly like her-"

Tsunade interrupted with a loud, and rather threatening cough. "Well Shizune, I think it's best we take Sakura to the hospital and draw some blood. We're going to need as much as we can get without making her pass out."

"It's a good thing you're O negative, Sakura-chan," added Shizune as Tsunade rose form her seat and walked toward them. "A universal donor, so we don't have to worry about any blood-type incompatibility."

Sakura nodded in acknowledgement, although Tsunade's avoidance of the topic of her mother did not escape her notice. She may not know much about her family, but Sakura was indeed certain that her mother and her shared identical faces and that must have been what the assistant was meaning to say. _So Shizune-san knew my mother too_, thought Sakura_. If my luck runs badly with Tsunade-sama, maybe I can weasel some information out of her instead._

Sakura was shaken out of her thoughts by Shizune's trembling voice. "Uh, Tsunade-sama, a-are you sure your office is in the right, um, condition to be leaving it right now?"

"Grr, don't remind me," replied Tsunade gruffly, her expression suddenly becoming hostile as she turned to the monstrosity that was her laden desk. "But if we wait until I finish my paperwork, I'm afraid we won't begin the procedure until I resign as Hokage. Besides, with the village short on skilled ninja, working to get one back in action is the best thing I can do as Hokage right now." Tsunade nodded to herself, satisfied that she had just legitimized her excuse to temporarily escape the more tedious tasks of being Hokage. Shizune yielded in defeat as the three kunoichi trekked to Konoha hospital.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Lee's surgery was already underway as Sakura sat anxiously in the waiting room, as did the rest of the Konoha 12, and Guy of course.

Presently, Sakura was seated on a bench with the Shikamaru, Chouji and Ino to her right, and Naruto and Sasuke to her left. On the next bench opposite them sat the remaining genin. To pass the time, Sakura just watched Guy nervously pace back and forth across the room. However she eventually began to get dizzy, whether from her recent loss of blood, hunger or Guy's movements she did not know, and began to focus on the floor. When she did, she noticed Neji's right foot shaking up and down uncontrollably, almost as if he were apprehensive as well, although his countenance was as expressionless as ever.

Neji's fidgeting did not help Sakura's light-headedness in the slightest, so she decided to look ahead. Beside Neji, she observed Ten Ten continuously twirling a kunai in her hand. That too began to cause Sakura to feel faint, so for her safety she leaned her head back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling.

_Wow, Team Guy seems really fidgety this afternoon, although I can't much say that I blame them. I don't know what I'd do if it were Naruto or Sasuke getting dangerous surgery done._ She glanced at her two teammates, who at the moment were also looking at each other and then turned to Sakura and looked away quickly. _I guess they were thinking the same thing too._

Sakura returned her eyes to the ceiling as she allowed her thoughts to entertain her during her wait.

_I'm kind of glad that all the other genin are here though. Although no one's saying anything, just their being here is somehow calming my nerves a bit. We haven't all gotten together like this since that training exercise before the chuunin exams. _Sakura suddenly sat up straight. _The joint training session…now there's something I haven't thought about in a while. _

_We never figured out why those ninja captured us. Kakashi-sensei had said that every lead ran into a dead-end. I wonder if we'll ever figure out why they were after us. I remember them saying they needed one of us alive and they weren't sure who. Could they have been out to capture on of __**us**_. Sakura's eyes scanned the room full of ninja quickly. _Or maybe we had something they wanted? Like information? Or perhaps they wanted to steal a clan's jutsu, or the Byakugan or something? _Sakura frowned in frustration._ Ngh…I'm seriously going to drive myself crazy if I keep trying to figure things out with such little information. Kami, why was I cursed with such a complicated life?_

By the time Sakura decided to escape the chaos that was her thoughts, Naruto and Sasuke were staring at her intently. "Um, Sakura-chan? Are you OK? You're not feeling dizzy again, are you?" Naruto cautiously said the last question softly. Apart from him and Sasuke, Sakura had not told any of the other genin about her new-found abilities or her involvement with Lee's surgery. She had whispered it to them sometime before they all gathered into the waiting room.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine guys, really," she said, ignoring her intermittent pangs of light-headedness. "I've just been thinking about some things, that's all."

"You want us to go outside with you? Maybe get some fresh air?" asked Sasuke.

Sakura shook her head. "Nah, I'll be fine. Besides, the operation started 3 hours ago so Tsunade-sama should be out soon."

No sooner had Sakura finished speaking than the 5th Hokage walked into the waiting room, accompanied by Shizune. Everyone got out of their seats; Sakura found she felt a sudden rush of vertigo as she rose up, but ignored it as best she could. Guy was the first to jump in front of Tsunade, tears ready to be shed for either joy or sadness, depending on the news.

"Tsunade-sama! Please tell me! Is Lee…?"

Tsunade appeared extremely fatigued but looked on at the people before her with a smirk on her face. "The surgery was a success. Lee is now resting comfortably in his hospital room." She was barely able to finish her sentence before the room erupted with the sound of happiness…although its source came from only one person.

Guy's eyes poured out enough water to compete with the Niagara Falls. "OH, YES! I'M…I'M SO HAPPY! THANK YOU SO MUCH, TSUNADE-SAMA! YOU ARE TRULY THE MOST BRILLIANT MEDICAL NINJA THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN!" Guy also gave Sakura a grateful nod, which Sakura accepted with a bob of her own. Sakura asked Tsunade not to inform Lee about her involvement with the surgery. However, she supposed it was necessary for her to at least inform someone responsible for Lee's welfare about what the surgery entailed. And Guy had fit those qualifications.

Tsunade reprimanded Guy for his boisterous attitude, reminding him that they were in a hospital and he should keep the volume down. However she was not harsh, since she understood how worried he was about his student's life.

Guy's one-man-show aside, the other ninja in the room all sighed in relief after they heard Tsunade's news.

"Tsunade-sama," said Ino, "is it OK if we go see him?"

"Well, although he should be waking up from the anesthesia very soon, I don't think he'll be up to seeing too many people."

"Just point us to his room, Tsunade-sama!" exclaimed Guy, although a lot quieter than he was speaking before.

Tsunade gave an exasperated sigh. "Shizune, please show them to Lee's room. But I'm warning you all to keep your voices down. Got it?" They all nodded and followed the Hokage's assistant to Lee's room.

"I think you should go in to see him first, Sakura," said Guy when they reached the door.

"W-what?" responded Sakura. "But, Guy-sensei, I…" She was at a loss for words.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to find Neji smiling at her. "I offer you the benefits of my experience, Sakura. It is best not to argue with Guy-sensei." Sakura looked at Ten Ten, who also nodded.

_Ngh…I explicitly said I didn't want anyone knowing about this…well technically I said I didn't want Lee finding out but still, not telling everyone else is a given. _She gave Guy another glance and she found him smiling down at her. It was the calmest and gentlest look she had ever seen on him. Sakura sighed. _Oh well, can't do anything about that now._

Sakura nodded and walked into Lee's room, her legs feeling a bit shaky as she did so. She was surprised to find him already awake. "Lee-kun?" she said softly. "How're you feeling?"

Lee shifted his head slowly so that his dark eyes met her pair of green ones. "Sakura-san, I am so glad that you came. I wanted to see you as soon as I could."

"Lee-kun…you-you shouldn't speak. I just wanted to see if you were all right that's all. And all the other genin came too. We were all really worried about you, especially Guy-sensei. But now that the operation's over, you just need to rest, OK?" Sakura knew it was not advisable to have Lee overexert himself so soon after his surgery, so she turned and began to walk away.

However, she stopped when she felt a hand hold onto hers. It was Lee's. She looked down at him to find his watery eyes staring up at her. "Sakura-san, wait. I have something that I must say to you. And…well…thank you! I do not really know what your role was, but Guy-sensei assured me that your involvement somehow increased the chances of my surgery being a success. I owe you more than you will ever know." Tears were beginning to fall from his eyes. "Words cannot express the depth of my gratitude for giving me the opportunity to realize my dream once again and become a splendid ninja. Thank you…Sakura-san!"

Sakura was dumbstruck, and it was only after Lee finished speaking that she realized that tears were also flowing down her own cheeks. "Lee-kun…I…you don't owe me a thing."

"No, but I do."

"No, you really don't. I mean…how do I explain this. You helped me out during the chuunin exams. Didn't I owe you for that?"

"But Sakura-san, I did that because you are my friend and I did not wish to see you hurt."

Sakura smiled. "Same rule applies here, Lee-kun. I helped you because you are my friend and I didn't want to see you hurt."

If tears were trickling from Lee's eyes before, now they were profusely flowing from them. "Sakura-san…what did I do to deserve such an outstanding friend." Lee smiled brightly through his tears.

Sakura continued to smile back, softly. "Now be sure to get some rest, OK? Don't push yourself before you're ready."

"Sakura…you do realize whom you are talking to, right?"

Sakura laughed lightly. "Well, at least someone hasn't lost their sense of humor-" The dizzyness she had been feeling since her blood was extracted returned in a sudden wave, and Sakura placed a steadying hand on her head. _This was a very bad day to go without breakfast_, she thought as she realized the fact that she hadn't eaten anything all day did not go well with heavy blood loss.

"Sakura-san? Are you all right?"

Sakura attempted to smile back, but she was overcome by a sudden rush of weakness as her eyesight began to dim.

"Sakura-san? Sakura-san? Help! Someone help!" called Lee.

His voice sounded so far away as Sakura's fading vision suddenly went to nothingness.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sakura awoke abruptly from another fitful slumber, panting heavily. Realizing she was not in her bedroom when she woke up, a part of her feared she was still in her parents' house in the Rock Village watching Naruto and Sasuke getting slaughtered yet again. She placed a bracing hand to her sweaty forehead to calm herself. The stinging wave of ammonia that came to her nose as she was inhaling deeply assured her that she was actually in the hospital, and not any other undesirable place.

As she began to recall the events that went on prior to her premature sleep, a familiar voice came from her right. It sounded quite hesitant and weary. "S-Sakura-chan," it said, very quietly. "H-hey, are you a-all right?"

Sakura recognized it was Naruto as she turned to her left toward the light from the room's window. Her gaze met two pairs of eyes staring concernedly into hers; Sasuke was present too. The two genin were assessing her keenly, not saying another word. This made Sakura quite anxious. What had she been doing during her most recent nightmare? Was she thrashing about? Sobbing? Screaming? She was not sure, but one thing she was certain of was that she must have been reacting _some_ way to cause such a reaction in her teammates.

"You were having another nightmare, weren't you Sakura-chan?"

Of course Naruto was not completely surprised by Sakura's night terror. While journeying with Jiraiya, Naruto was once abruptly awoken by Sakura's shrieking one night. Afterwards, she found herself being shaken awake by her teammate, his eyes wide with concern. He was terrified that his friend was being tormented by Itachi's justu and demanded an explanation. After that, she had to reassure him that she was all right and confessed that she sometimes got nightmares about her family's murders.

He was eyeing her now with the same look he had given her that night. "These seemed even worse than that last time. You didn't tell me they could get this bad. Were you dreaming about your parents again?"

Sakura nodded dumbly, not finding it necessary to reveal the truth about her horrible dream. Their stares were starting to become unbearable so she turned away from them and looked down at her sheets. They seemed very wrinkled, as if they had been squeezed and pulled at for quite a while.

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged looks before Naruto began to approach the kunoichi slowly. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and she shifted her eyes to his in response. He smiled at her warmly. "Don't worry about a thing, Sakura-chan. It's all over now, and you know what? I'm gonna guarantee you'll never have that horrible nightmare about your parents dying ever again." He ended with one of his good-guy grins as he reached into his back pocket for something.

"I bought this from one of the vendors I saw closing down shop after the ceremony today when you left. I figured I just had to get it for you." He then pulled out what looked like a ball of sticks and feathers. However when he suspended the wad of twigs into the air, letting the feathers hang downwards below it, Sakura realized the object's identity. The 'ball of sticks' was actually a willow loop with an intricate network of fibers woven into the circle that looked like a web. Dangling below were about a half dozen pink feathers.

It was a dream catcher.

Sakura looked from the gift to Naruto, who was still beaming. "So, do you like it? It's to keep your nightmares away."

Sakura smiled softly as she accepted the item from her friend. "It's beautiful, Naruto. T-Thank you. I love it."

Naruto gave a small blush and was about to say something when Tsunade suddenly strode purposefully into the room, Shizune following closely behind her. "I figured you'd be awake by now," said Tsunade, eyeing Sakura's now conscious form.

"How are you feeling?" asked Shizune. "You don't look well." There was a hint of concern in her voice at Sakura's seemingly paler features.

"Oh, I'm just, um, tired," answered Sakura. "But I don't feel dizzy anymore or anything."

Tsunade gave an exasperated sigh. "I told you not to push yourself after the transfusion. We took quite a bit of blood from you. But in any case, your vitals seem fine and we've been giving you plenty of fluids." The sannin waved her hand towards bag of liquid that was leading via a tube into Sakura's right hand. "But since your conscious now, you won't be needing the IV anymore. Shizune?"

The black-haired medic jolted forward and began removing the needle.

"So Sakura-chan is going to be ok?" asked Naruto, glancing worriedly at his teammate.

Tsunade smirked. "Of course. We injected her with enough iron to help her body replace some of the blood. She's recovered quite quickly, actually." She turned to her patient. "You've only been unconscious for about an hour and your hematocrit is already approaching normal levels."

Sakura nodded. "And how is everyone else?" she inquired, thinking of Lee and the other genin.

Naruto chuckled. "You totally freaked them out. Lee was all 'Sakura-san! Sakura-san! My precious flower please don't die!' Hahaha it was hilarious!"

Tsunade snorted. "And who was the one bouncing around the room and getting in the way while I was trying to examine her?" She glared at Naruto as she recalled her annoyance with him and the blonde boy shrunk fearfully away from her.

"Anyway," he recovered, "the whole gang's waiting outside for 'ya, Sakura-chan. They want to see you."

Sakura winced and turned to her teammate wearily. "I-I'm not sure I'm up for seeing anyone quite yet, if you don't mind. Could you just let them know I'm all right?" The kunoichi felt much too frazzled to entertain visitors.

Naruto opened his mouth as if to object, but then decided against it and nodded. "Whatever you want, Sakura-chan."

"It's best if you get some food in you soon," said Tsunade as she and Shizune turned to exit the door. "I'm sure you'll feel a lot better once you've eaten something. After all, you all have an important mission to get to tomorrow."

Sakura's head cocked to the side as she registered this and Naruto let out an excited squeal. "We have a mission? Awesome! What rank is it, Tsunade-baachan? B-rank? A-rank? S-ranked?"

The women in the room raised their eyebrows with concern as they watched Naruto do his private happy dance in the corner of the room. Tsunade shook her head. "We have to get going though. Sakura, please report to me tomorrow morning so I can brief you about the mission. And Naruto! Why don't you do something useful and get Sakura some food from the cafeteria!"

Her booming voice snapped Naruto out of his reverie as he turned to the Hokage and saluted. "Will do, Tsunade-baachan!"

Tsunade gave another sigh of exasperation as she walked out the room with Shizune.

Naruto rushed out after them as he called, "I'll be right back guys!"

And the hyperactive blonde torpedoed out the room door, leaving his two teammates behind. Sakura noticed Sasuke was being particularly quiet during the entire exchange, although that wasn't necessarily abnormal. She decided to try and strike up a conversation with him.

"You two shouldn't have gotten me gifts," she said, recalling the book Sasuke had given her this morning as she looked at the dream catcher in her lap. "You're making me feel bad. I didn't get you guys anything."

Sasuke remained silent, staring solemnly out the window. Sakura furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Sasuke?"

"That was why your bed sheets were so torn up this morning, wasn't it?" He was speaking in his regular monotone, however Sakura's ears detected a trace of hurt hidden in his seemingly indifferent voice.

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. He clearly didn't forget the mangled futon he saw in her room earlier that day. "I…I couldn't tell you," answered Sakura, slightly ashamed of her weakness.

"But you could tell Naruto."

Sakura, whose eyes were fixed on her sheets, snapped her head towards her teammate. Was he hurt that she had told Naruto about her frequent night terrors and not him? It wasn't like she informed her spiky-haired friend by choice. She would have preferred to have kept this a secret from them for as long as she lived.

"I didn't mean to tell him. He woke up to my screaming one night while we were looking for Tsunade-sama and he found out. I didn't want to tell him."

"Still…you should have told me. I could have…" His voice trailed off into silence, and the quietness remained for a while before Sasuke started motioning towards the door. "You know what, it doesn't matter. Naruto seems to be doing a good enough job taking care of you so I'm just going to head out." His voice was cold, and Sakura noticed the edge in his voice as he said their blonde friend's name.

Sasuke did not spare her another glance as he walked passed her bed and to the doorway. _I hurt him_, thought Sakura, feeling completely disgusted with herself at that moment. _How could I have been so stupid, so selfish. He confided in me about the way his parents' deaths affected him last night and I never shared anything back. If the situation were reversed, I'd probably feel a bit betrayed too. I…I just have to make this right somehow, but I don't…_

A thought came to mind and Sakura gulped hard at the idea. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before her attempts to speak were finally fruitful.

"I dreamt you guys were dead," said Sakura hoarsely.

Sasuke halted in his tracks and turned to face her, looking a bit shocked. "What?" he replied softly.

Sakura bit her lip. She didn't want to disclose what really happened in her dream. She dreaded the idea of even talking about it. But it was one thing Naruto did not know about her. Telling Sasuke was the only was she could make things up to him.

"In my dream last night…a-and just now. I-I normally see my parents' deaths but this time, I…" She clenched her sheets as she spoke slowly and deliberately, trying her hardest to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. She really didn't want to have to say this. "I see Itachi standing over Naruto's d-dead body. And then i-in the end Orochimaru, he…I watch him kill you Sasuke…" Her voice was barely above a whisper, and the tears she was fighting poured shamefully down her face. She was looking at her tensed hands, not bearing to register Sasuke's reaction.

Sasuke was staring at her, slightly dumbfounded. She had just revealed one of her most painful, innermost secrets…to _him_. His heart was overflowing with conflicting emotions: fondness for her honesty, agony for her pain, rage that she was suffering, motivation for quelling her fears. His expression grew soft and empathetic as he approached her. She was still avoiding his eyes, even as he sat gently on her bed so that he was facing her.

"Sakura," he said, his voice carrying more gentleness than she had ever heard in it. He reached his hand over hers and Sakura felt a sudden warm sensation originating from her hand and flowing through her entire body. It was calming, comforting. She allowed her sodden eyes to face his. "It won't happen," he said firmly. "It won't ever happen."

Fresh tears began to emerge from her eyes as she fell forward into his arms for comfort, sobbing softly into his chest. "I promise you," he cooed over her shoulder, caressing the back of her head. "it won't happen. I won't ever let it happen…"

* * *

**Now, how many of you were joining in Naruto's happy dance at the prospect of getting some actual action next chapter? Be honeeeeeest...**

**Well, at least we finally learn a bit about Sakura's abilites - that's why she can heal, efficiently learn and use water jutsu and kind of tell when people aren't being truthful. I hope Tsunade's explanation was clear enough. And I know these last few chapters seem like long and drawn-out fillers but trust me, there are a lot of important things hidden in there that's going to be important for future events. I'm very big on connecting past and future occurences. **

**I've already started working out the battle scenes for the next chapter - trying my hardest to make it worthwhile for you all in appreciation for all your support. ****On that note, just wanted to give a special thanks to all my readers and reviewers, for without you I would not have gotten so far! Thanks so much! I'm going to try my best to update as soon as I can.**

**Next Point: The next mission is going to take place in parts, and I'm estimating that the first part will take about two chapters (maybe 3 but 2 is just an estimation). If you guys don't have much objections, I'm going to hold off on the updating until part 1 is completely written out. I feel like you can appreciate and enjoy what's going on better when you can read the entire mission with the chapters days rather than weeks apart. Sound good?**

**Third Point: I've been receiving some questions about whether this is going to be a SasuSaku or not (and I'm sure after this chap you probably have a solid conclusion about the answer to that question). I just wanted to make it clear that at this point in the story, there are no solid romantic feelings between Sakura and any character. Sakura has never been in love or heard much about it, so she doesn't understand romance at all. Given that, it's going to take a while before she can ever decipher whether she even love-loves anyone.**

**As for her and Sasuke, they are just really good, really close friends who can confide deep and meaningful stuff in each other because they have such similar pasts. They've never been able to connect with any else like that because they keep to themselves a lot, and this is new and different for them too. As far as where that will lead in terms of a future pairing, I can't say who's going to end up with who by the very end of the story (partially for suspense and partially because I keep going back and forth about it myself).**

**But if this story does have SasuSaku moments that are rubbing some ppl the wrong way (and I totally understand that...there are some pairings I absolutely detest myself) please don't take offense and please don't let it turn you off from the story because friendship, rather than romance, is the central theme of the story (hence the story genre). Of course friendship also breeds romance sometimes but hey, that's just the way things roll.**

**I also got a question about Gaara...he'll be showing up again in due time but it won't be for another few chapters :( Again, can't really say if they'll end up "together" but I'll try to work in some feel-good moments when he does make his appearance!**

**Ok, I think I've done way too much talking now, but I hope I clarified some things. And if you guys have any more questions about pairings or stuff in the plot, please let me know.**

**Thanks again for all your reviewing and encouragement and I hope to hear what you thought about this chapter as well so PLEASE REVIEW! ^_^**

**Next chapter...a new mission begins!**


	28. A Lovely Client

**No introductory comments this chapter.**

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

**_A Lovely New Client_**

"OOOOO YEAH! Another mission! I can't wait till we get goin' already!"

"Geez, Naruto," came a lazy irritated voice, "for once, could you tone down on the excitement already. Just watching you bouncing up and down like that is making me tired."

"I think you could show a little more enthusiasm, Shikamaru," came a high-pitched, female voice.

"Or should we say _leader_," added a rough voice mockingly, a dog bark accompanying it.

Eleven young ninja of the Konoha 12 were becoming a bit rambunctious as they waited at the Leaf Village gate to begin their current mission together. It was quite sunny that day, with a sultry breeze traveling in intermittent rushes from the west. The day provided the perfect weather for a mission, however it could quickly become oppressive if forced to stand in it for half an hour, as was the case with the small band of youths.

"You guys, cut it out already…" sighed Sakura for the third time since they gathered. The stifling heat and recurrent bickering was not helping her mood as she found the excitement she felt that morning gradually being replaced with irritation.

As she stood on the hot dry earth with her friends, her mind rewound back to three hours earlier when she had first learnt of the employment of the Konoha 12 for a mission.

_Sakura was scrambling up the stairs to the Hokage's office, already being 10 minutes late for their meeting. Not having the presence of mind to allow herself some time to catch her breath when she reached the top floor, Sakura entered the room panting heavily._

"_I'm so sorry (pant) Tsunade-sama, it took (pant) longer than I thought before the hospital (pant) discharged me this morning."_

"_Easy, Sakura. I understand; don't worry you didn't keep us waiting that long."_

"_Us?" echoed Sakura as her head shifted to the side to find the other person to whom the sannin was referring. Shikamaru met her gaze._

_The fellow chuunin raised his hand lackadaisically in acknowledgement. "Sakura."_

"_Shikamaru? What are you doing here?" she asked with surprise as she turned to her Hokage._

"_I am assigning Teams 7, 8 and 10 as well as the remaining members of Team Guy to a new B-ranked mission," stated Tsunade tersely. "You will be escorting Hoshi-hime, the daughter of one of the Lords of the Fire Country, back to her home."_

_Sakura crossed her arms as she took in the Hokage's words. "This seems like a very high-profile client, Tsunade-sama. I know we're short on ninja, but shouldn't there be at least one jounin assigned to this mission?" She was not being insubordinate, but was simply curious as to the blonde medic's reasoning._

"_It is true," she answered, clasping her hands on her desk. "If it were a normal escort mission, I would have been obligated to assign a jounin, or at the very least more experienced chuunin. However, the circumstances of this mission are…different."_

"_Different?" repeated Shikamaru, his brow raised curiously._

"OOOOOUCH! HEY KIBA QUIT IT!"

Naruto's bellowing snapped Sakura out of her thoughts in time to find her teammate on the receiving end of a very aggressive noogie courtesy of the chocolate-haired genin. Akamaru was barking happily with approval.

"Let him go already, Kiba," said Ten Ten as she patted him lightly on the shoulder to release the blonde. "You're not being funny."

Kiba grinned widely as he relinquished his hold on Naruto. "Haha, well I think I am."

Sakura placed two fingers to her temple as Shikamaru sighed. "Listen guys, Sakura and I were assigned as cooperate team leaders for this little armada of ours. I don't want to be a drag, but the least you could do is show us a bit of respect and save the antics till after the mission?"

Kiba straightened up at this, feeling a little ashamed of the way he was acting. His reaction earned him a snicker from Naruto, after which Sakura shot him a death glare that caused the blonde to choke on his own laughter. Kiba smiled with contempt but said nothing.

"How about we go over our formation again before our client gets here," suggested Sakura, hoping it would help keep everyone's minds off of the heat and boredom.

"The princess, Hoshi-hime, will be traveling in a carriage," began Ino.

"Our job right now," continued Ten Ten, "is to protect her while she makes her way to her home."

"We'll split up into 3 teams," carried on Shino. "Team 1 defends the right side and front of the carrier, Team 2 takes the left side and front, and Team 3 protects the rear."

"Team 1 will comprise of Naruto, Ten Ten, Hinata, and me, acting as the team's coordinator," said Shikamaru.

"And Team 2," said Sakura, "will be Kiba, Chouji and me as team leader."

"Lastly, Team 3," ended Neji, "will consist of myself as leader, along with Sasuke, Shino and Ino."

Everyone nodded in agreement while Naruto was counting off some things on his fingers, looking perplexed. "Hey, wait a minute. I just realized something. You guys completely separated all of the original team members." The other genin furrowed their eyebrows in surprise at the realization as well as the fact that Naruto of all people was the one who noticed. "Why'd you do that?" asked the spiky-haired genin, turning to Sakura. "Our teamwork should be an advantage, yet you're splitting us all up."

"Shikamaru and I were discussing the arrangements for the mission this morning, and we felt this was the best course to take. Yes teamwork's great, but splitting up into our original teams is also very limiting."

"You see," began Shikamaru, "each of our squads specializes in something. My team is skilled in stalling opponents. Team Guy primarily uses physical attacks. Team 8 is specialized in tracking, and Team 7 predominantly uses ninjutsu. We decided that splitting up our skills would far outweigh the benefits of teamwork."

Neji nodded. "That makes sense. Plus you've assigned team leaders to coordinate attacks and make up for the lack of familiarity with working with each other."

"You guys should trust Sakura and Shikamaru," stated Chouji. "They know what they're doing." The boy smiled at his two friends.

Outwardly, Sakura smiled back however inwardly, she was doubting whether the genin should have such blind faith in them. After all, this was their first real mission as team leaders.

"I-I think they're finally here," squeaked Hinata.

The young ninja turned toward the road leading to where they were standing to find a horse-driven carriage making its way towards them. When it reached the gate, the thin, brown-haired man who was steering the horses hastily made his way to the door of the carrier, nearly tripping over himself in the process. He had a kind face, thought Sakura. It was thin and oval and he had brown eyes behind his round spectacles.

The man pressed his clothes with his hands and regained his composure before he opened the door and helped the young princess out. She seemed innocent looking enough as she stepped out of the carriage. Her bleach-blonde locks were short, hugging her face in the front. She had mesmerizing magenta eyes and was wearing a simple but elegant white dress with purple ribbons that complemented her eyes. The princess and her attendant walked toward the ninja.

"H-Hello," greeted the jittery escort. "my name is Kobayashi Haruka." He shook all of the ninjas' hands. "You may refer to me simply as Haruka. I will be accompanying the princess on her journey. And this is Hoshi-hime."

The little princess was looking away from them with her nose in the air and her arms crossed impatiently. She did not even turn towards them when her name was called.

"My name is Nara Shikamaru. And this is Haruno Sakura. We're the team leaders and-"

"Enough of this pointless chatter," interrupted Hoshi, finally facing the youths with hostility in her eyes. "I don't care what your names are or what your story is or how much you're sure you'll be able to protect me on your mission. I just want to get out of this stupid village and into my own home." And with that she stomped off toward the carriage again. Haruka gave them an apologetic look behind her back before he dashed ahead of her to help her inside the carrier.

_So she was one of __**those**__ princesses, _they all thought.

Without another word, Haruka climbed up the carriage and hitched the horses to continue out of the village gate. The ninja looked at each other wearily before they divvied themselves into their 3 teams and took their respective positions. Every ounce of enthusiasm for their current mission evaporated from their minds as they trekked under the sunny, cloudless sky.

This was going to be a _long_ mission…

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

They had been on the road for about 3 hours when Haruka suddenly stopped the horses. The ninja halted as well, Naruto colliding into Shikamaru as he had not realized what was going on. Haruka leaned his head toward the small front window of the carriage, seemingly listening to a request the princess was making. He nodded curtly and turned to Shikamaru on his right.

"The princess would like some apples," he stated simply. He then pointed toward the apple orchard that lay about 400 meters east of them. "She would like one of you to pick one for her."

It was on Team 1's side, so it followed that they would be the ones responsible for retrieving the fruit. Shikamaru sighed in annoyance and he turned to Naruto expectantly, Ten Ten followed suit and Hinata blushed and looked away from the boy.

The genin looked from Shikamaru to the Ten Ten before he realized the meaning of their gesture and whined, "Awww why do _I_ have to be the one to get it?"

The two just continued staring at him and Shikamaru pointed his index finger toward the trees assertively. Naruto dropped his head forward, making some incomprehensible mumblings as he trudged to the orchard.

Minutes later, he ran back towards the group, apple in hand as he opened the carriage door and presented it to the princess. One second, the princess had the fruit in hand and the next it was torpedoing into Naruto's skull, making a loud thud as it hit its mark. "OOOOOW!" exclaimed the now very irate blonde as he rubbed the back of his head with one hand and shook a threatening fist with the other. "What the heck did you do _that_ for?"

"You call that _thing_ an apple? It has yellow patches on it, I want a _red_ apple!"

Naruto grumbled some more incoherent things to himself before he tore his murderous gaze from their client and stalked off to the garden of apple trees once again.

On a normal day, the other ninja would have probably laughed in amusement at Naruto's plight. However, the contempt they shared with the blonde genin for their charge silenced any thought of a chuckle.

Sakura's eyes remained unblinkingly fixed on the carriage, the entire exchange stirring something in her memory.

"_Different?" repeated Shikamaru, his brow raised curiously. "What do you mean this mission is different?"_

"_You see, after you escort the princess, there is another part to your mission. You will also be acting as undercover bodyguards at the princess's birthday party."_

_Undercover bodyguards? thought Sakura._

"_The young princess, Hoshi-hime, is turning 10 and she is having a royal gathering of sorts with the children of every dignitary in the land to celebrate. With such an aggregation of children of wealth, there is a threat of the party-goers falling prey to attacks or kidnappings. You are also being assigned as their protective detail during the celebration."_

"_Tsunade-sama," started Shikamaru, "with all do respect, the reasons you're giving right now actually provides even more evidence that a team of rookie genin and a couple of newbie chuunin are not qualified to escort this princess to her homeland as well as protect a party full of kidnap-targets." Sakura couldn't help but agree with her comrade as she turned back to the Hokage for an explanation._

_The woman sighed heavily. "I know. However my hands are tied. You see, the princess has made some very…__**specific**__…demands. She does not want any adults present at her party or even in the same vicinity. Therefore, the only ninja that she will allow into her gathering must not be above the age of 16. You are the most well-trained ninja we have fitting that age category."_

_Wait a second, thought Sakura. She's putting her entire party of guests, along with herself, in danger…because she doesn't want any grown-ups at her party?_

The thought seemed absolutely ridiculous at the time, and Sakura could not understand any reason why the princess would do such an unreasonable thing or how anyone could allow her to. However as she watched Naruto being forced to walk back to the orchard again and again to find the perfect apple for the princess, she began to understand.

The princess…was a brat.

By the fifth trip to the garden, Naruto had just about reached his tolerance limit. He frustratingly summoned about 20 shadow clones, each picking two apples to take back to the spoiled child, and the small army of clones ran back toward the group. A conveyor belt of clones were then each presenting apples and getting them rejected by the stubborn child until finally, the sixteenth clone had a winner and procured an apple worthy of the princess.

Appeased, Hoshi accepted the apple and slammed the door shut to enjoy her snack, not affording Naruto one word of gratitude. The blonde genin huffed furiously as the clones disappeared in a puff of smoke. "You little brat! I oughta-"

"No, Naruto," said Shikamaru, holding his current teammate's shoulder just as he was about to pounce at the cab. He had anticipated the blonde's reacting this way and stuck closely to his side to stop him - before he accidentally murdered their charge in a fit of rage. "She's our client, remember. It's a drag but we can't be rude, so just calm down. It'll all be over soon."

Naruto gave a grunt as he yielded to his friend's suggestion. "Fine, fine. But the only reason I'm not clockin' her is 'cause she's a girl. I don't care who she is, nobody gets to treat me that way!"

Shikamaru sighed as Haruka started up the horses once again.

The winding dirt path they were walking on gradually became stony as they neared the mountains. Their course was taking them to a rocky mountain through a trail that came up one side of the landform and wound midway up the slope to the other side.

Kiba noticed where they were heading and tapped his team leader's shoulder. "Hey, Sakura. Are we going to pass into that mountain."

"I believe so. Why, what's up?"

"Well, Akamaru and I do a lot of hiking in this area, and that mountainside isn't too safe for wagons. The trail gets really steep and narrow, and the loose pebbles on the paths make it difficult for traction. Taking the dirt path around the mountain takes a bit longer, but it's a safer course of travel."

Sakura nodded. "I'll inform Haruka-san." The chuunin increased her pace until she was walking directly beside the driver. "Haruka-san, may I have a word?" She then explained the situation to the man, who relayed it to Hoshi.

About a minute later, Haruka turned to Sakura apologetically. "I'm sorry, but the princess does not wish to lengthen her journey by taking an alternate route. We will be sticking to the trail we are on."

"Hold on a minute." said Kiba gruffly, having heard what was just communicated. "Are you telling me that we can waste a good half hour to get her a stupid apple, but we can't spare a few extra minutes to avoid something that's actually dangerous?" Sakura could hear the edge of incredulity and rage in the genin's voice as he tried to sound as calm as possible.

"It is the princess's view that the true reason why you wish to take a different path is because hiking would be more bothersome for you and you are being lazy."

"What? Are you kid-"

"Kiba," said Sakura calmly, holding his shoulder similarly to what Shikamaru had done to Naruto. "We're her bodyguards. That's all. It isn't our place to do anything but _advise_ the best course of action. We can't force her to do anything she doesn't want to do."

Kiba gritted his teeth. "Yeah yeah. Whatever you say, leader." She could tell from his words that the only reason he was willing to relent is because he was trying to respect Sakura's wishes as their team leader. He was wild by nature, it was true, but the Inuzuka clan were taught to respect hierarchy. He kept his mouth shut for Sakura's sake as they trekked up the mountain.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

True to Kiba's words, the rocky path provided a challenge for the group. The trail was gravelly, making it difficult to maintain one's footing. Combining that with the steepness of the mountain provided a serious hazard for slipping right off the trail and falling off the mountain to your doom. The ninja had to tread carefully.

What made matters worse for them now was the path's narrowness as it wound around the mountain. The space available was barely wide enough for the carriage alone, forcing the team to temporarily abandon their protective formation. To compensate, Sakura hung on to the front of the wagon on the right, facing away from the mountain, and Neji held on to the back. The nine remaining ninja separated into two groups, one walking before the horses and the other following behind the carrier.

"Make sure your door is locked, princess," called Haruka as they reached a particularly precipitous area along the trail.

All was going well for now, until Sasuke's keen eyes noticed the cabin-wheels in front of him seemed to be slipping on some pebbles in the direction of the edge of the mountain, towards the right.

"Hey-" Before he could utter a warning, the carriage swayed quickly toward the ravine. The genin lunged to halt it as best he could, however his efforts only slowed the falling vehicle slightly. That is, until Chouji expanded his arms and used his immense strength to stabilize it.

The cabin jerked to a grinding halt, and a split second after, the cabin occupant crashed harshly into the door, forcing it open and flying out the opening.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" came an abnormally high-pitched squeal as Hoshi tumbled out the carriage and over the precipice.

"Hoshi-hime!" cried Haruka frantically.

Before she realized what she was doing, Sakura followed after Hoshi, diving forward to catch the screaming child. As she was in the air, her mind finally caught up to what she was doing and she quickly grabbed a roll of ninja-wire attached to a kunai and threw the weapon up to her teammates. As she made her descent toward the girl, she wrapped the other end of the wire around another kunai and held on tightly for the expected recoil once the wire no longer had slack. Within another split second, Hoshi was in Sakura's arms screaming terribly as the two continued to plummet down the mountainside.

The kunai Sakura had thrown to her team was soaring towards the ninja but began to slow as it started making a premature descent, following after its owner.

"No, Sakura-chan!" called Naruto.

"Somebody, grab it!" exclaimed Sasuke severely, unable to assist his friend since he was still helping Chouji hold up the carriage.

Naruto threw himself toward the falling weapon, making a few hand seals along the way. Clone after clone appeared after him as he finally caught the kunai. The clones formed somewhat of a bridge between the cliff and the kunai as their arms linked together in a desperate attempt to save their friend…and their client of course.

Within another instant, the entire length of the wire became taut and the Naruto's grunted with effort as they felt the full force of their falling damsels. "Nrgh…a little help here guys…"

Ten Ten sent down a ball tied to a rope that fell and wrapped around Sakura and Hoshi securely. The remaining ninja pulled on this rope with all their might until the girls' feet were planted safely on the rocky path. Naruto climbed up his bridge of clones after them.

With the cabin stabilized, Chouji and Sasuke fell to their knees with exhaustion, as did the other ninja. Sakura freed herself and Hoshi from the rope and the moment she did, Hoshi jerked away from her savior in disgust.

"Get away from me! You ninja are such idiots! How could you let me fall like that!"

"U-Um, Hoshi-hime, with all do respect I did warn you to lock your doo-"

"I don't want to hear it, Haruka! All I ask is that you sorry-excuse-for-ninja get me home in one piece OK?"

"You know what," said Naruto, huffing from exertion, "say all you want about what we should and shouldn't'a done (pant) but a decent person woulda at least _thanked_ Sakura-chan for risking her own life just to save yours."

The bleach blonde eyed Sakura from the corner of her eye and scoffed. "That's what my daddy's _paying_ you for isn't it? Why should I bother to thank you for something you've been hired to do in the first place?"

"What? You little-"

"That's enough Naruto," said Sakura sternly. Her expression was neutral. "She's under no obligation to do anything for us, all right? I'm fine, so just calm down and let's continue moving."

"Hmf. Finally someone is actually talking some sense," commented Hoshi as she walked to her carriage.

"Yeah, just make sure _you_ have enough sense to listen to your caretaker and lock your door this time," called Naruto behind her back. The princess made no outward indication that she heard him and continued into her carrier. Sakura shot Naruto a disapproving look, however the rest of her comrades looked quite elated. Even Neji had a hint of a smirk on his face (and no doubt Shino would have too if they could see his mouth).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It was now late into the afternoon as the travelers finally made it out of the mountain and were walking on dusty earth once again. Despite the long day they had, the ninja kept their guards up as they drew to the end of their journey…and it was a good thing they did.

As they were walking silently down the path, Kiba's ears twitched in alarm and Akamaru gave a low growl. "Uh oh," said Kiba. Sakura turned to him as he answered her unasked question. "Trouble."

In one swift movement, the ninja assembled themselves to protectively encircle the carriage. Haruka stopped the horses in response. "What's wrong?"

"We're not sure yet," replied Shikamaru. "You'd better get inside the carriage Haruka-san." The man did as he was told and entered the cabin.

Hinata and Neji focused their chakra calmly and revealed their kekkai genkai. "Byakugan!"

"Well Neji?" asked Sasuke who was standing beside him.

"We've got some rogue ninja on our hands. They're coming our way right now," he stated.

"How many?" asked Ten Ten, turning to Hinata.

"A-A few dozen. Maybe 30 o-or 40?"

Ino gasped. "30 or 40?"

"They're not that powerful," said Neji, assessing the enemy's chakra. "I believe they intend to overpower us with their numbers rather than their strength."

"So what do we do here?" asked Shino.

"What we always do!" exclaimed Naruto, patting his right bicep with his left arm. "We kick serious ninja butt until none of 'em are left standing!" Sasuke and Sakura smirked to themselves. Typical Naruto.

Ino did an enthusiastic fist-pump. "That's the spirit Naruto! Let's do it!" Chouji and Shikamaru rolled their eyes.

Kiba gave a rowdy howl. "We'll tear those ninja apart!" Hinata and Shino sighed.

"To the full power of youth!" cried Ten Ten. The entire team snapped their heads in her direction, which caused her to sweat-drop and she waved both her hands in surrender. "I-It's what Lee would have said if he were here. _Someone_ had to represent Team Guy."

The ninja shook their heads as they re-entered their fighting stances, awaiting the enemy. Various battle scenarios were running through Sakura's head as they waited for the attack. Whatever happened, she was not going to let her comrades get hurt, not on her watch.

"Here they come!" warned Neji seconds before a huge band of rogue ninja appeared in the grassy fields surrounding them. They were all wearing the same black cotton outfit which covered their arms and legs. They had grey vests over their bodysuits and had their faces covered by black mesh masks.

Following their predetermined assignments, Sakura was standing with Kiba and Chouji against a little over a dozen enemies before them. Team 1 - Shikamaru, Naruto, Ten Ten and Hinata - were facing identical odds as were Team 3 - Neji, Sasuke, Shino and Ino.

And so, the battle began!

0 0 0 0 0

**Team 1**

Always the first to jump into a fight, Naruto had already made 10 shadow clones by the time the rogues began charging toward them. A wave of orange rode toward a sea of black, and the clearing looked like an orange and black soup of people before most of the clones disappeared on contact with the ninja. Taking advantage of the puff of smoke, Hinata used her Byakugan to see through the haze and strike as many ninja as she could with her Gentle Fist while Shikamaru used his Shadow Strangle jutsu on two of the rogues, successfully incapacitating them.

Ten Ten was left unable to attack due to the temporary lack of visibility, and was taken by surprise when a rogue karate-kicked out the smoke and directly into her, knocking her backwards. Hinata and Naruto were also quickly thrown out of the pile-up.

_There are just too many ninja_, thought Shikamaru. _Rushing them isn't going to work. We need a plan._

0 0 0 0 0

**Team 2**

"Let's go Akamaru!" The puppy jumped on his master's back as he made a hand sign, and seconds later there were two Kiba's present on the battlefield.

"Fang over fang!" The two Kiba's tornadoed into the mob, knocking several aside as they created two paths dividing the ninja.

Chouji and Sakura jumped in and stood back to back as they began to take out a few ninja of their own. The pink-haired chuunin took out a kunai and used it to deflect a few shuriken before she punched out the rogue before her and retracted her elbow to knock another beside her. Grabbing the ninja she just elbowed for support and using the momentum she built up from the attack, she swung herself over the ninja and into the air. She then maneuvered her body to hit the same ninja with a chakra charged kick in the head, knocking him out.

The other ninja did not hesitate to grab her leg as she was in air and tossed her forcefully toward the carriage, her left shoulder meeting wood hard.

Chouji was holding his own relatively well. Using his expansion justu, he pushed back any ninja that got too close with his gigantic arms. However, with Sakura no longer defending his blind spot, the genin faced an unexpected kick to the back which threw him forward and into the knee of another rogue. He coughed in pain and he took a back-hand swing to the face. Realizing he was going to keep getting pummeled if he did not get out, Chouji pushed his body forward with his legs in the same direction that his head was being punched toward. He made it out of the mob of ninja with a slightly swollen lip as he got up and brushed himself off beside Sakura.

_This is no good,_ thought the pink-haired kunoichi just as Kiba and 'Kiba' tumbled out of the sky to her feet. _We're not going to get anywhere like this. The only way out is to coordinate our attacks somehow._

0 0 0 0 0

**Team 3**

As the army of rogues were rushing toward them, Sasuke jumped into the air as he made a flurry of hand seals, ending in the seal of the tiger. "Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" A giant fireball erupted from his mouth, colliding into the earth and creating an explosion which repelled some of the ninja backwards.

Exploiting their disorientation, Neji charged forward after them for attack. The Hyuga took his stance and began his Eight Trigrams: 32 palms, hammering through the ninja with his gentle fist.

A barrage of kunai suddenly flew from the band of ninja and toward the carriage. Ino unsheathed her kunai to deflect them while Shino released a wave of his black insects toward the ninja. One of the rogues jumped into the air and used his own fire jutsu to create a wisp of flames that engulfed the bugs. In the same swoop, the ninja aimed his jutsu at Neji. The genin hopped backwards, his arms only singed slightly from the flames. With his body out of stance and unable to attack, the surrounding ninja began punching and kicking the silver-eyed Hyuga. He was able to maneuver around a few of the blows but could not escape them all before he eventually gained enough footing to leap out of the fray.

Sasuke was about to make his own attack when Shino outstretched his arm to stop him. "You'll only end up like Neji if you go in without back up," he said simply as Neji landed beside them, panting. "We need a plan."

Neji nodded, not removing eye-contact from their approaching enemies. "Indeed. And I believe I know just the thing…" he ended with a contempt smirk.

0 0 0 0 0

**Team 1**

"We have multiple targets," stated Shikamaru. "And if we don't want to get our butts kicked, we have to occupy all targets simultaneously. That's why Naruto and Ten Ten are our best bet. You guys ready?"

"Yup." "Believe it!"

Naruto jumped into the air and created a total of 20 shadow clones, each charging directly into the mob. The hyperactive clones punched, kicked and flailed through the ninja. Shikamaru held back and, keeping an eye on the original jutsu-caster, used his Shadow Possession Jutsu to offer support to his comrade. He halted any ninja who attacked the real Naruto in their tracks so that the genin would not get hurt while he focused on replenishing his destroyed clones.

Ten Ten also leapt to the sky, aiming all manner of weapons at the ninja in the back, out of the reach of Naruto's clones. With those ninja unable to support the others, Naruto was having a much easier time knocking them out.

Some stragglers did manage to escape Naruto and Ten Ten's onslaught of attacks and began approaching the carriage. That was where Hinata came in. Anticipating this, Shikamaru instructed the Hyuga to remain behind for this very purpose. Using her Byakugan, she was able to quickly detect any escaped rogues and dealt with them accordingly by using her Gentle Fist, blocking their chakra and rendering them unconscious.

"Yes!" cheered Naruto as he punched out another ninja. "It's working!"

0 0 0 0 0

**Team 2**

"You all ready to move?" asked Sakura.

"Me and Akamaru most definitely are, right boy?" 'Kiba' grunted affirmatively. "We'll keep those guys at bay as long as you need us to, Sakura."

And with those words, the two Kiba's rolled into their whirling tornadoes and weaved there way in between the ninja as they pounded the ground over and over again all around the rogues. The enemy ninja were startled by this. It was easy enough for them to side-step the attacks, but they were forced to keep relatively still as they eyed the drills to dodge them.

The distraction provided enough time for Sakura to gather her chakra and call upon the water in the earth as she pooled it together unknowingly beneath the enemies' feet. Chouji stuck close to his leader, defending her from any unsuspecting attacks as she concentrated.

_OK, I'm ready_, she thought after another minute or so. Sakura placed her arms out to help focus the chakra-enhanced water underground. She then curled her hands as the ropes of water emerged out the earth and manipulated them to lace themselves around the ninja's legs, anchoring them all to the floor. Some of the ropes also snaked their way around their arms to restrain them from retaliating.

Kiba and Akamaru stopped their attacks and re-joined their fellow Leaf shinobi as Sakura yelled, "Now Chouji!"

"Right!" he answered. "Expansion Jutsu: Human Boulder!"

The boy's body inflated to the size of a gigantic ball and he repeatedly rolled and bounced onto their bound foes, knocking them unconscious.

"Yaaaah whooo! Awesome!"

0 0 0 0 0

**Team 3**

"Do it now Ino!" called Neji.

"All right boys. Take a wiff of _this_." Ino leapt into the air and threw several kunai with bags of powder attached to them that exploded into the earth on impact. This created a cloud of orange dust that scattered itself around the enemy. "It's a special present from my flower shop. The scent of that pollen is enough to disorient an elephant."

"Now that they have been temporarily stifled," began Shino, raising his hands into the air, "my insects can finally get a chance to get close to them."

Thousands of black bugs escaped from Shino's coat and made their way towards the disoriented ninja. They then split up into several groups and landed en masse on the masks of the rogue ninja, preventing any light from entering their eyes.

"The pollen is gone now," stated Neji. "Let's go, Uchiha!"

The two boys, one bearing the Byakugan while the other's eyes blazed with the red hue of the Sharingan, raced to their blinded enemies and began their assault.

Taking his battle stance once again, Neji used his Eight Trigrams: 32 palms against his adversaries. Sasuke stood on his hands while wheeling multiply kicks at his foes, following up with shuriken and fire style jutsu on the ninja that resorted to blindly punch the air in desperation.

"You guys are doing great!" cheered Ino as the enemies quickly met dirt, falling one by one to the floor.

0 0 0 0 0

Within minutes, the eleven Leaf shinobi had successfully held off the rogues and, accepting defeat, the remaining ninja that weren't unconscious made their retreat.

"Yeah you _better_ run away!" cried Naruto victoriously.

"Wait a minute," said Ten Ten, "what are they doing?"

The kunoichi was referring to the fact that one of the groups of runaways, which had congregated a short distance in front of the princess's horses, seemed to be creating a pyramid. They were standing on top of each other's shoulders such that there were three at the bottom, two in the middle and one at the very top.

"I-I don't think this is over," said Hinata ominously. "They're building up their chakra."

They started to create some hand seals, the final one being the seal of the tiger. That could only mean one thing.

"Fire style jutsu!" shouted Kiba. "Everyone out!"

Although admittedly the level of jutsu that these rogues demonstrated was very low, even _their_ attacks would cause serious damage if amplified five times. They all knew they had to remove themselves from the line of fire (literally). However, there was not enough time to also get the princess and escape to safety.

Sakura knew she had to act quickly. This was a fire-based jutsu and she was a water-style user. If she allowed this attack to go right past her, it would have just been shameful. Not to mention the lives of the princess and her friends would have been jeopardized.

As her mind quickly reviewed her repertoire of water jutsu, one stuck out in her thoughts immediately. She had never used the justu in battle before, and even when she had performed it while practicing, there was a large body of water for her to play around with then. All that was left for her at that second was a mediocre reservoir of water she had collected just moments before, during the fight. Was it enough? She knew that in a battle with Uchiha Itachi the answer would have been a definite no, but perhaps the water would be sufficient for these rogues.

Her split second calculations finally drawing to a conclusion, Sakura performed the hand seals she had memorized. "Take this, courtesy of the 2nd Hokage! Water Style: Water Wall!"

The wave of flames erupted from the rogues just as a wall of water suddenly emerged from the ground to block its path. They were both vying for dominance as red clashed with blue. Sakura gritted her teeth as the contact was made but held her stead, determined not to let the wall falter no matter how much chakra she had to pour into it.

"Wow, way to go Sakura-chan!" exclaimed Naruto.

Just as the remaining Leaf ninja were about to launch an attack against the fire-users, another pyramid formed south of the carriage. The rogues were making various seals.

"You have got to be kidding me," said Ino. "Uh, Sakura? Can you put one of those wall thingies over here too?"

"Ngh. Can't," she responded with effort. "Not enough chakra…ngh…or water."

"OK, haha _we're_ doomed."

"Not necessarily," said Sasuke, stepping forward and making some hand seals of his own. "Looks like we just have to fight fire with…Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!"

The two sets of flames collided with a boom, creating a gigantic swirl of fire as the two ninja kept feeding it opposing fires, each one cancelling the other out.

"Wow, you're amazing Sasuke! Nothing less from you!" squealed Ino.

Although she could not see what was going on because her back was facing him, Sakura still felt quite impressed with Sasuke as she struggled against the justu. Her water had an inherent advantage in combating the flames, however Sasuke was working on neutral ground and was still able to hold his own.

The other teams shifted their feet once again to finally end the attacks when two groups of ninja began forming pyramids on the east and west, boxing in the ninja.

"OK now this is just getting ridiculous," said Ino in exasperation. "I think it's safe to say that _now_ we're doomed."

"I will not allow that to happen!" said Neji with fervor as he jumped to the west side. The flames were just about to reach him when he raised his palm and began the "Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation!"

The shield the Hyuga created around himself served as a suitable obstacle to prevent the flames from reaching the group and the carriage. However, there was still the other set of fire justu to contend with.

"I won't let them get past me!" cried Chouji. "Expansion Jutsu! Both arms!"

The boy's now gigantic arms quickly created a wall against the flames. He whimpered slightly when the fire made contact with his skin but tried his best not to show his agony.

Although they were now protected from the flames, the ninja were surrounded with no way of escaping their fiery prison. And what was worse…their friends were running out of chakra!

"W-What do we do Shikamaru?" asked Ino as the other genin turned to their only available team leader.

The chuunin noticed the desperation in their eyes. They were relying on him to come up with something, to get them out. The pressure was beginning to get to him, however as his eyes roamed around him to evaluate the situation, Chouji caught his eye.

His best friend, Chouji, who always believed in him and never doubted his sound judgment. There he was now, struggling against the flames and risking his own arms for the sake of his friends. He did it because he _knew_ that they would devise a way for them all to escape this, and he was determined to give his team a fighting chance.

Shikamaru smiled to himself and knelt down to the ground with his fingers pressing against each other, creating a circle. That was the stance he took when he needed to think. He kept his eyes closed for another moment before they shot open a minute later.

"I know what we're gonna do."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Having received their assignments, the ninja went to work.

"Shikamaru," said Hinata, her Byakugan activated, "leap around Chouji's hands at a 35 degree angle from where you're standing now. That's where the flames are weakest."

"Gotcha."

"Don't forget your fire suit," said Naruto as he created six shadow clones which held themselves around the chuunin like a net, completely covering him from view.

"Here we go!" Shikamaru propelled himself from behind Chouji's arms just as Hinata instructed. He got hit by a few flames but the clones provided enough cover as he made his way out of the fire. "You're going to stop hurting my friend right now! Shadow Possession justu!"

The chuunin stretched his shadow toward the pyramid of ninja and the instant they were all caught in his justu, the flames subsided. Chouji released his expansion jutsu immediately afterwards, groaning a bit while Hinata raced to the restrained ninja and knocked them out with her Gentle Fist.

"Chouji," said Shikamaru as he walked to his kneeling friend. "Hey, you OK buddy?"

0 0 0 0 0

Meanwhile, Kiba and the real Naruto were helping Sasuke.

Kiba fell to the ground on all fours and began his Fang over Fang technique, digging into the earth such that the result created a wave of dirt that continuously rushed above and over the gigantic ball of flames, forming a bridge of sorts to the other side.

"That's my cue," said Naruto as he plunged into the dirt-wave which sent him tumbling over the flames and outside the fiery box. "It's payback time." He punched his fist into one hand and then began his assault, charging forward along with several newly created Shadow clones. Sasuke released his jutsu as the enemies' fire gradually extinguished with each foe Naruto took out.

0 0 0 0 0

At the same time…

"Don't worry Sakura, we're here to help!" exclaimed Ino.

If she weren't so busy concentrating, Sakura might have given some indication of gratitude. However, her eyes were resolutely fixed on the wall of water before her as she fought to maintain it.

"I think we best get started," said Ten Ten.

"Yup. Sakura, you are so lucky your wall isn't a living object. Otherwise, this would never have worked. Nija Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu!"

The blonde kunoichi strategically aimed her attack directly through the tower of water and toward the pyramid of rogues such that her soul successfully transferred to the top ninja's body. "Now it's time to have some real fun. Cannonball!"

The top ninja suddenly jumped off his comrades into the sky, plopping himself on top of them ungracefully and destroying their formation. "Do it now Ten Ten!" Ino called. "Release."

Just as Ino returned safely to her own body, which was currently slumped near Sakura, the pink-haired kunoichi relinquished her jutsu and Ten Ten used the opening to fire her barrage of weapons at the enemy, incapacitating them.

"Hehehehe," giggled Ino as she started picking herself off the floor and gave Sakura a wide grin. "Piece-o'-cake."

0 0 0 0 0

As these occurrences were going on, Shino had already released his insects into the sky and they had successfully landed on the ninjas that were fighting against Neji's shield. By the time everyone else had taken out the other pyramids, the black bugs had already managed to drain the fire-users of all their chakra, to the point where they suddenly fell to the floor unconscious from chakra exhaustion. Neji stopped spinning in response and kneeled to the floor panting.

In the end, the floor was littered with dozens of still rogue ninja while the rest of the eleven were huffing from exhaustion.

Well…almost all of them.

"We did it!" shouted Naruto joyously throwing his fist into the air. "We totally creamed those guys! Hahahaha we are sooooo AWESOME!"

Before anyone could express their annoyance at the boisterous genin, there was a painful whimper which drew to their attention.

"Oh no, Chouji," said Ino as she fought her fatigue and ran toward her wounded teammate, Shikamaru kneeling beside him.

The back of both his hands as well as his arms had sustained 2nd degree burns and they were bleeding badly. "We have to disinfect and bandage this up right away," said the blonde concernedly. "You could get a serious infection."

She raced to her bag to obtain the first-aid kit she always carried with her, but before she could make her way back to her friend, the carriage door jolted open.

"What is taking you ninja so long to get moving!" shouted the princess as she walked out of the carrier and eyed her panting and injured protectors. "I think I've waited long enough for you to catch your breaths, now let's get going!"

"Hoshi-hime," said Ino as she bowed respectfully. "Please, one of my teammates has been seriously burned and we need just a few minutes more to tend to his injuries."

The girl shifted her eyes toward the fallen genin. "Who? _Him_? Psh, you can bandage him up while you're walking. You've left me waiting long enough during your little fight with those pathetic ninja. Besides, he shouldn't be hurt that much anyway. That ninja looks like he has enough blubber on him to insulate himself from the flames of a volcano."

The Leaf ninja watching narrowed their eyes at her comments and Ino balled her hands into a fist angrily. "Why, you listen here you-"

The blonde was about to step forward to give the brat a piece of her mind, however Sakura held her shoulder back. "Don't, Ino. It isn't your place to argue with her."

The kunoichi turned to her pink-haired friend standing beside her, a look of betrayal in her eyes. "But Sakura, this is Chouji we're talking about. He's hurt and-"

"I know that Ino, but it isn't your place to argue with our client," she stated calmly, walking toward the princess, who gave a mocking grin to Ino. "But as team leader…I think I'm allowed to say something." Her emotionless expression suddenly turned fierce as she looked at Hoshi. Her voice underwent the same transformation.

"Who the hell do you think you are talking about Chouji like that?…I said who the hell do you think you are?" She held onto the princess's white dress and jerked it towards her so that their faces were no more than inches apart. "I don't care how you talk to me or how rude you are or the kind of attitude you have. I will stay true to this mission to its end and protect you with my life as a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, no matter what you do.

"But know this. I am a friend before I am a ninja, and I have an even greater responsibility to defend my comrades. So now _I'm_ telling _you_ that if you won't allow us time to recover then you can just keeping going with your caretaker and we will have no part in the rest of this mission. Got it?"

Sakura continued her fierce, piercing stare into the princesses shocked magenta eyes for another moment before she finally released her hold on the girl. Hoshi's eyes seemed a bit moist as she straightened out her ruffled clothing. "Do as you please," she replied softly with indifference. "I'm going to stretch my legs a bit." She walked out into the grassy meadow on the hillside while Haruka, who had not said a word during the entire exchange, hurried after her.

"Sakura-chan…you are…" Naruto's dumbfounded voice drew Sakura's attention to the shocked faces surrounding her, looking on in awe at what they had just witnessed. The blonde genin was, for once, at a complete loss for words. "…you are…"

"…so cool," finished Kiba with a smirk, shaking his head in amusement.

* * *

**I had not included this mission in my original story plan, but I wanted to involve more of the other characters before the end of Part I. Plus I just couldn't pass up the oppotunity to have another mission with the Konoha 12! (minus Lee...I'm so upset I couldn't use him in this one :( )**

**I must say, I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and I hope you enjoyed reading it just as much! Playing true to previous chapters, I tried to make the fight-scenes as interesting, original and teamwork-y as I could, especially since you guys have been waiting very patiently for some action! I really hope you liked it!**

**Sidenote: In case anyone didn't pick up on it, Sakura learnt the Water Style: Water Wall jutsu from the 2nd Hokage's scroll that Jiraiya gave her in "Tsunade" and practiced in "Hopeful Prospects". FYI...**

**A special thanks to all my readers and reviewers! I know I say this all the time, but I can't stress enough how much I appreciate your comments and encouragement. YOU are the reasons I keep writing despite my lack of free time/lazyness, and I dedicate each chapter I write to you! ^_^**

**Now, I meant this mission to be 2-3 chapters long and...well I'm still working on chapter 4 of it...yeaaaaaah. I'm almost through with it though :) So please review and I'll post the second mission chapter up as soon as my ego has been stroked enough XD**

**Next chapter..."Intermission"**


	29. Intermission

**A speedy update this time.  
Please enjoy!**

* * *

**_Intermission_**

Ino was busy mending Chouji's arms while the other genin were gathering up the unconscious rogue ninja and tying them up securely with ninja wire. The shinobi of that area would surely spot them and take the necessary measures to dispose of them. Meanwhile, Sakura and Shikamaru were privately discussing the recent attack they had just barely survived.

"When they were first attacking," began Shikamaru, "I had originally thought that they were just some band of thieves out for a good steal."

"Yeah I thought so too. But when they started trying to annihilate both us and the carriage with their fire-jutsu, it became clear that their main goal was not to pilfer goods."

"This was an assassination attempt." Shikamaru placed a pensive hand on his chin. "I can understand a kidnapping, but why would anyone want to kill the princess?"

Sakura shrugged. "Maybe they met her." She mumbled this response more to herself, however Shikamaru's silent chuckle told her that he had heard her. "In any case, the fact that there was one attempt made means that it's very likely that whoever sent these ninja are going to try again. And the longer we take to get her home, the more vulnerable we are going to be, especially since we've already exhausted most of our chakra."

"What're you suggesting?"

"A faster means of transportation. According to our map, there is dense forest leading from here all the way to her palace. If we travel through the trees, we'll be moving faster and we'll be a lot less open to being directly attacked."

"That means we're going to have to carry Hoshi-hime through."

"I know," stated Sakura simply.

"She isn't going to like that."

"Don't care. Besides this is for her own good anyway."

Shikamaru looked a bit taken aback at her uncharacteristic response, but then smirked in realization. "I guess the fastest way a person can get into your bad books is when they endanger your friends huh?"

"They instantly make it to the top of the list."

With Chouji bandaged up and the rogues bound, the eleven ninja regrouped along with their charge, Hoshi, and her caretaker, Haruka.

"From here on out," announced Shikamaru, "we're all going to be traveling through the forests on foot toward the princess's home. It'll take us there a lot faster than by going at the pace of a carriage. You feeling up for it, buddy?"

Chouji nodded. "I think I can manage. My injuries aren't too bad, and Ino put some ointment to soothe the pain so I should be all right."

"As for you two," continued Shikamaru, facing their charges. "Naruto and Kiba will be supporting you as we make our jumps, Haruka-san; Hoshi-hime will be carried by Neji."

Hoshi opened her mouth as if to say something, but soon closed it and lowered her eyes. Haruka, however, voiced Hoshi's unspoken concern. "I'm afraid Neji-kun cannot be allowed to carry Hoshi-hime."

"Why not?" asked Shikamaru.

"You see, Hoshi-hime is part of a long line of priestesses from her mother's side, and she is not permitted to ever be in intimate contact with a man until she decides not to pursue her religious calling and chooses the married life instead. For our religion, Neji-kun cannot carry her. We are sorry." Haruka bowed in apology.

"What about a girl?" inquired Sakura, turning to Hoshi. "Would you object to my carrying you?"

Hoshi was silent for a moment before she gave an annoyed sigh. "Well if I have to be carried, I guess it would be OK if it were you. At least, I don't _think_ you're a boy."

Sakura's eyebrow gave a hard twitch before she shook her pang of anger off and looked to Haruka for any objections but he nodded.

"What a second, Sakura," said Ten Ten. "You're chakra's still drained from that jutsu you used. Let me carry her instead."

"No, it makes more sense if I do it. My chakra's low, so I wouldn't be as useful in battle like you, or Hinata or Ino. Plus, my attacks take time if there's no obvious source of water. They would be useless in an ambush."

Sakura knelt beside Hoshi to allow the girl to hoist herself onto her back. She wavered slightly before she got the nerve to climb on. The kunoichi held her arms tightly around the princesses legs as best she could. The dress got in the way a bit, but the girl felt secure enough.

"Is this OK?"

"Yes," she answered tersely.

Sakura nodded to Shikamaru to indicate that she was ready while Kiba and Naruto positioned themselves beside Haruka. "Then let's head out."

And the ninja disappeared into the trees.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The group continued their travels through the forest without incident and finally settled in a clearing when the sun had completely set. They set up a temporary fire to provide them with some light while they set up camp.

"We'll leave first thing in the morning," stated Shikamaru. "As far as shifts for lookouts, we'll be doing it in pairs with four two-hour shifts. Hinata and Ten Ten will take the first shift, Neji and Shino will go second, Sasuke and Naruto go third and me and Kiba will get the last one."

"Shikamaru, I can handle a shift too," said Sakura.

"Yeah, and why the heck did you leave _me_ out?" piped Ino. "I get that Chouji is injured so you wouldn't put him in, but why us?"

"Because, Sakura you've been carrying a kid on your back all afternoon after exhausting your chakra. You need the rest. And as for Ino…" The chuunin rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "…well with an odd number of people left I had to eliminate one person, and you get really cranky when you haven't slept."

"Hey!"

"Well, thanks for the consideration Shikamaru." The boy nodded. "I suppose we should all get to bed. Good night everyone."

"Good night," they all chimed.

As Sakura was settling into her sleeping bag, she noticed Hoshi shivering under her blanket on the floor, Haruka covered by another sheet next to her. Because they weren't planning on camping out, all they had to use for sleeping were a couple of blankets they had taken from the carriage.

Sakura sighed and walked toward the two, dragging her sleeping bag along with her. They had not extinguished the fire yet, so some of the genin were eying Sakura very curiously. They half-wondered if the girl had finally snapped and was planning to smother the princess with her bag. The little girl had certainly complained enough to Sakura during their travels all day long - about Sakura being too rough with her, turning too quickly, descending too abruptly or jumping too high. It was enough to drive anyone mad.

Haruka was clearly already fast asleep, however Hoshi was fidgeting far too much to convince the kunoichi that she had drifted off into slumber as well.

"Hey," she said, using a tone that was not as friendly as it normally sounded but at the same time not hostile.

"…"

"You know, I'm sure the ground doesn't feel very comfortable for you. You could use my sleeping bag if you'd like."

"…"

"It also keeps the bugs off you better."

"…"

"And once we turn the fire out, it's probably going to get a lot colder. Another added bonus having a sleeping bag, it keeps you warm."

The girl she rolled onto her side to face Sakura, finally relenting to her suggestion. "Why are you giving this to _me_?"

Sakura scoffed. "I won't be able to get any sleep at all if I hear your teeth chattering from the cold all night long."

"Hmf. Well fine then," she answered. "I wouldn't ever want to be a burden to you."

"Fine."

"Fine."

The kunoichi dropped the sleeping bag and took cover under Hoshi's abandoned blanket as the girl crawled into the fabric cocoon. Things were silent for another few minutes as the fire was put out and the genin were certain that Sakura's motives were not to assassinate their charge.

Then, Hoshi's voice sounded in the darkness. "You know, it's still annoyingly cold in here. I'm freezing my butt off."

"And?"

"And…" Hoshi hesitated a bit before continuing. "I'm sure body heat would keep me a lot warmer than the bag. And…well…I'm not very big so there's lots of space in here…just so you know."

Sakura sighed. "Are you saying you want to share that sleeping bag with me?"

Hoshi made a momentary pause. "Yes."

Sakura got up from her resting place and weaseled into the comfortable sleeping bag, Hoshi's back against her front so that Sakura's arms were encircling the girl as she slept.

"…Thank you," said Sakura softly.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"You're finally up I see," said Sakura as Hoshi stirred awake in her arms. "We're just about ready to set out."

The blonde princess yawned loudly. "Ngh huh? What? Already? But wait, you yourself haven't even gotten up yet."

Sakura smirked. "Yeah well that was because I didn't want to wake you, silly." The pink-haired chuunin slipped out of the bag, leaving a void of warmth beside Hoshi.

"You waited until I got up?" asked Hoshi, genuine disbelief in her voice.

Sakura, who was stretching her limbs out, stopped and eyed the girl. "Well…yeah."

The princess looked into Sakura's evergreen orbs for another second before she scoffed. "You know, just because you're being all nice to me all of a sudden doesn't mean I'm not gonna tell my daddy about the way you yelled at me yesterday."

Hoshi expected an angry retaliation or some hostility, but received none. Instead, Sakura looked on at her with dismay, a hint of hurt in them. They continued staring at each other before Sakura tsked and turned her head away. "You know what, I don't know why I even bothered." She wasn't speaking aggressively, and the trace of sadness that was in her eyes moments ago was present in her voice. "It's no wonder you're so bitter and full of hatred for the world. You can't even tell when someone is genuinely trying to look out for your wellbeing."

Sakura walked toward her traveling bag that was kept under the trees and was getting her items together leaving Hoshi gazing after her, slightly dumbstruck.

When the group was finally prepared to make the last leg of their journey, Ten Ten was carrying Hoshi this time. She had insisted that Sakura had done enough and that she should take over.

By late evening they had reached the palace. It was an impressively grand estate. There were acres upon acres of green lands surrounding the mansion. These were separated into gardens containing various flowers, from camellias and azaleas, to hydrangeas and lotuses with at least two water features in each garden.

After a fifteen minute walk up the path on the grounds, they reached the main house. It must have been at least five stories tall, and the size of the building itself made the Hokage tower, the largest building in the Leaf Village, look like a shack. There was a gigantic water fountain in the center square before the palace's front door. It was in the shape of an elephant making a one-legged pose as water shot from its upward-pointing trunk.

The eleven approaching ninja had never seen anything so magnificent. It was almost intimidating. "Looks like we finally made it," said Shikamaru as they entered the palace.

"Indeed," said Haruka. "Thank you so much for the excellent work you have done so far."

"Yes, well our job isn't finished yet. The party is tomorrow night, correct?"

"Yes. We have a room for you all to recuperate in tonight. Once I get Hoshi-hime settled in I will take you all to get something to eat and then escort you to your room so-"

"Hoshi! Oh look, she's finally arrived!" echoed a female voice. They were all currently standing in a grand space and they turned their heads to the staircase from which the sound came.

A tall, slender girl looking to be about 15 or 16 years of age raced down the stairs. She had long brown hair that lay flat and blue-green eyes. Running after her was another teenage girl who looked like her exact double. They were twins.

"Kako!" called the second one. "Kako, Hoshi's here!"

Shortly after, a small girl of about 4 or 5 was seen wobbling after the twins. She had short pigtails and was carrying a small white stuffed bunny in her hand. "I coming, I coming!" The toddler had the same hair and color eyes as the older teens.

"Hoshi!" exclaimed the first twin, hugging said girl tightly. "Oh we've missed you so! Haven't we?" The tall girl pulled away and turned to her double.

"Yes, yes very much," the other twin stated, also embracing Hoshi.

"Onee-chan, will you get off me already?" Hoshi shoved her sister away from her. However, this only left room for the brown-haired toddler to collide into her.

"Hoshi-nee-chan, I missed you. I missed you." She was holding on to Hoshi as if her life had depended on it, making the blonde smile softly before she pulled her away.

"Not to worry, Kako. I'm here now," Hoshi reassured. Kako grinned widely. "So where's outo-san?"

"Father is away on an important trip," answered one of the twins. "He'll return in the next day or so, but he may not make it back before your party."

"Of course," said Hoshi, her tone slightly disappointed but not exceptionally surprised.

"Oh, and are those the Leaf Ninja?" asked the other twin, eying the young shinobi curiously. The twins folded their arms sagely as they made their silent assessments of the group, looking at each one from head to toe.

"Y-Yes," said Haruka. "Um, everyone. These three are Hoshi-hime's sisters. That's Hikari-hime and Akari-hime…" He pointed to the twins who smiled and nodded. "…and this little one is Kako-hime."

"Hi!" said the little girl in friendly salutation.

"These eleven will be staying here until the celebration is over tomorrow night."

"Pleased to meet you," said Sakura, bowing respectfully as did the rest of the group.

A squeal suddenly reverberated through the halls, making the ninja snap their heads back upwards in reaction. When they did, Hikari and Akari had disappeared. The shinobi looked around with concern only to find the twins were standing on either side of Ten Ten. The look they were giving her was akin to the ones little girls gave cute, fluffy, white puppies bearing chocolates that read 'I Love You.'

"Isn't she just adorable?" said Hikari.

"I love those clothes! It's so Chinese and it sooooo works!" squeaked Akari.

"Please, tell us your name."

"U-Um…call me Ten Ten…"

The twins looked at each other and back at the kunoichi. "Too cute!" the exclaimed in unison. The entire group sweat-dropped and Ten Ten was beginning to get very uncomfortable as the princesses began to circle her like sharks around their prey.

"I think that hair has more potential though," commented Hikari. "It's much too restricted in those buns."

"Hmmm, you know, you're right" replied Akari thoughtfully. "Hey, Haruka, you won't be needing these ninja until tomorrow right?"

"W-Well yes but-"

"Excellent!" they cried as they grabbed hold of Ten Ten and disappeared up the stairs, leaving a cloud of dust behind them.

Kiba cocked his head to the side toward Hinata, whispering, "Am I the only one who's fearing for Ten Ten's life right now?" Hinata nodded slowly, eyes still frozen forward in shock.

Hoshi shook her head in exasperation. "Stupid dumb sisters…" she sighed wearily.

"Well, I should be getting you to your room now, Hoshi-hime. Kako-hime, you should come along too." Haruka began pulling on Kako's hand, however the girl did not yield to his tugging. She stood stalk-still, gazing upward and seemingly mesmerized by something. Following here eyes, the group discovered that the child was staring at none other than Hyuga Neji.

The boy kept his face neutral, even as Kako began to point her miniature finger at his face.

"Puh…puh…" she chanted slowly.

The Hyuga stared at her curiously.

"Puh…PRETTY!"

Neji's eyebrow gave a hard twitch and the entire team dropped to the floor in shock.

Kako retracted her finger, gave a small blush as she giggled lightly and ran off upstairs. The group quickly recovered from their shock-attack as Haruka coughed to regain their attention.

"Haruka," said Hoshi, "I'll go to my room myself. Provide for these ninja as you see fit."

"As you wish, Hoshi-hime."

The princess walked up the staircase as Haruka escorted the ninja down one of the hallways toward the dining room. The palace chef served them their meals. He was a tall, gangly man with a high pitched voice, terrible posture and a long, curved "evil-looking moustache" as Naruto put it. After they had eaten their fill, Haruka then took them down another hallway to their room. The walls of the halls themselves were littered with artwork - paintings and portraits both accurate and abstract.

"Thank you once again for all your hard work," said Haruka, as they walked down the hallway. "It is hard to believe that such young children can be capable of demonstrating such skill. I'm very impress-"

"Hey, Haruka-san," interrupted Naruto. He had wandered off around one of the corners of another hallway and his voice echoed to them from a distance. "What's this?"

The man and the rest of the ninja rounded the corner toward Naruto only to find him pointing curiously at one of the paintings on the wall.

"Oh that," said Haruka as he walked toward him. "That's just an abstract painting of a circus elephant."

"No no," said Naruto, shaking his. "I mean _that_ one." He indicated the frame next to it.

"Ah. Well this is a portrait of the late priestess, Lady Aiko, Hoshi-hime's mother. May her soul rest in peace."

Naruto head snapped from the painting to the attendant. "Her _mother_? She looks exactly like the princess. Well except she's older."

Kiba, Ino and Sakura approached the painting to see it for themselves. True to Naruto's words, Hoshi was the spitting image of the woman in this portrait - from the bone structure right down to the magenta eyes and bleach blonde hair.

"And you said she's dead?" asked Ino empathetically.

Haruka nodded. "For about 2 years now. Hoshi-hime was very close to her mother. She is the only one of her sisters that inherited Lady Aiko's skill in the religious arts, and will be following her mother's footsteps in becoming a priestess."

_She's the only one like her mom,_ thought Sakura._ Well that explains why she doesn't look like any of her sisters. Still, it must be tough on her…not having a mother…_

Haruko gave a sigh of nostalgia. "Well enough about the past. I am sure you all would like some rest before tomorrow."

And with that, the kind man walked them to their room and left them to their devices.

It was a large room with nothing more than futons lined up in two rows, 8 on one side and 8 on the other. The ninja took their bags and picked the spots they wanted. It was somewhat of an unspoken rule that the guys would sleep in one row and the girls would be on the other. Sakura chose a futon in the far corner, Ino selecting the one right next to hers.

As they unpacked their things, they heard the jostling of the door handle and turned to see who their visitor was. The ninja did not immediately recognize the figure, seeing as he/she was donning a brown paper bag with two holes punched through it for eyes. However, the familiar, Chinese-style attire gave her away.

"Ten Ten?" asked Ino as she stood up with a hand on her hip. "Just what on earth are you wearing?"

"Is anyone taking this?" She pointed at the empty futon next to Hinata, speaking as if nothing was abnormal at all.

As Ten Ten began resting her things, Ino snuck up behind the kunoichi and, with the girl's peripheral vision impaired by the bag, successfully pulled off the horrid covering. What lay beneath the girl's papery mask made even Neji's jaw drop.

"Ten Ten…" began Ino, for once her voice being void of life. "…i-is that…are you wearing…_make_-_up_?"

"A-And her hair…" continued Naruto, in a similarly stricken tone. "I-It's…_long_…"

The ninja's widened eyes continued to gaze unblinkingly at the product of Akari and Hikari's makeover. Ten Ten's face reddened (although the extent of it was hidden behind copious amounts of foundation). As the staring continued, Ten Ten clenched her teeth, her vein pulsing as she raised a threatening fist at them. "I look different ok? Big deal! And if you guys keep staring at me like that then pretty soon I'm going to make sure _your_ faces look different too, and in the worst way possible!"

The witnessing ninja sweat-dropped before tearing their eyes away from her quickly and scrambling to unpack their things.

The group were now readying themselves for bed when a small knock was heard. They looked expectantly at the door for someone to enter but no one did. Kiba lifted himself from his futon to check who was outside but all he found in the hallway was a piece of paper on the floor.

"It's a note," he said, eyeing it as he took it to the others inside and shut the door. A grin decorated his face as he examined it. "Hey Neji…I think it's for you." His tone was dangerously playful.

Neji raised his brow. "From whom?"

"Why, your special friend of course." The boy turned the note to face the people in the room. There was a very amateur drawing of a long-haired boy with the eyes colored in silver. The artwork was clearly sketched by a child, princess Kako no doubt, and it looked very…well…cute! "Hmm…Gee, I wonder what it says."

Neji gritted his teeth as a small patch of pink surfaced on his cheeks. "Give it here Kiba!" The Hyuga lunged forward at the brown-haired genin. Kiba stepped backwards, holding the note up and away from Neji's reach. However the boy was getting dangerously close to obtaining the note.

"Kiba! Over here!" Naruto stood a few feet behind the Hyuga and had his arms outstretched into the air. Kiba obliged and flicked the paper toward the blonde, who caught it and began to run for dear life as Neji chased after him around the room, yelling some obscenities at the boy.

"I think we should have a look at what it says, don't you Kiba?" Just as the spiky-haired ninja had been cornered by his pursuer, he tossed the note back to his partner in crime.

Naruto tackled Neji to the floor before he could pounce on Kiba next, and with the Hyuga occupied the dog-lover safely glanced at the parchment and began to read. "Awww, it's so cute. 'Stay heer as long as u want and hav gud dreems Pretty-chan.' Absolutely adorable."

Kiba and Naruto doubled over with laughter as Neji rose abruptly from the floor and snatched the embarrassing piece of writing. The room echoed with giggles and snickering. Neji aggressively stuffed the note into his bag, his cheeks more than slightly pink at this point. As he walked back to his futon amidst the chuckling, Kiba placed a hearty hand over the genin's shoulder.

"Aaaah we're just messin with 'ya bud. Don't take it so personally…pfufu…Pretty-chan! Hahahaha" The boy could not keep a straight face and Neji swept his hand away from his shoulder.

"Aw don't be such a poor sport," said Naruto, punching Neji's other shoulder lightly. "It coulda been worse…at least it isn't _Hoshi_ who has such an unhealthy crush on you. We mighta ended up takin you outta here in a body bag, or at the very least in some kinda mental state haha."

Ino scoffed, having fully recovered from the previously hilarious episode. "Now why'd you have to go and bring _her_ up. That girl is a total nightmare! Can you believe her?"

"Hmf," nodded Kibe, also abandoning his cheery mood. "I gotta agree with you on that one, Ino. The girl's a monster."

Naruto chuckled. "Hey but nothing coulda topped the way Sakura-chan wailed on her yesterday haha!"

"Even I have to admit, it was pretty awesome," said Shikamaru.

"That was an extenuating circumstance," said Sakura, her tone not betraying the fact that she was becoming uncomfortable with the new conversation topic that was Hoshi. "In any other situation, it would have been wrong of me to do that. It might have been a bit wrong then too." She stated the last sentence more to herself than the rest of them as she thought about what Haruka told them concerning Hoshi's mother.

"Yeah, come on guys," said Ten Ten, voicing Sakura's thoughts. "Give the princess a break. I mean, she lost her mom you know. And at such a young age too."

"Ten Ten has a point," added Ino. "She's probably just in pain, that's all."

Kiba tsked. "Tch. Lots of girls grow up without their mothers and don't act like total jerks. I mean, just look at Sak-"

"That's enough Kiba," stated Sasuke, who hadn't said a thing since they arrived at the compound. His words were finite and not to be debated. The room suddenly grew quiet, and Kiba was silently cursing himself for almost bringing up Sakura's parents. Common sense told them that it must be difficult for her to talk about, and he didn't mean to bring up such painful memories for his friend.

"U-Um…the point is that there isn't any excuse for her behavior," said Ino in an attempt to break the icy silence.

"Hey, I thought you were on my side," said Ten Ten as they all began to settle into their futons and turned out the lights.

"Just face it, Ten Ten," said Naruto. "You can't deny that the girl's nothing but a huge brat, and-"

"She's not a brat." Silence fell once again as all eyes turned to one of the corners of the room where they heard their pink-haired friend's voice. Sakura was lying on her back with her hands behind her head as she looked up at the ceiling. "She just misses her mom. It's not easy remembering she's dead every time you look in the mirror." The kunoichi then turned onto her side so that she was facing the wall while she tried to fall asleep. Despite the lack of visibility, she could feel her friends' empathetic gazes on her.

_You'd know all about that, wouldn't you Sakura,_ thought Sasuke, the photo of Sakura's family floating into his mind as he recalled that Sakura too shared the same face as her mother. _I'm…I'm sorry…_

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

The next day, the Leaf ninja were taken on a tour of the palace and the grounds to familiarize themselves with the area and develop a strategy for how they were going to proceed. They were currently standing outside the main entrance, the place they had arrived at the previous day. The wide cemented quadrangle felt hot beneath their sandals from the blazing sun, and the water pouring out the gigantic elephant-fountain sparkled in the sunlight.

Shikamaru was asking Haruka something about installing floodlights when Sakura noticed there was a girl sitting under the shade of the large fountain. It was Hoshi, her purple eyes gazing at her reflection as she absently swirled her hand in the water. Despite the upcoming party and it being her birthday, the young princess did not look very animated.

Sakura gave a small frown as she watched her and she decided to walk toward the girl while the others were exploring the vicinity.

"You know for being the big birthday-girl today, you don't look very happy." Sakura tried to sound a bit cheerful as she spoke.

Hoshi tsked, not removing her eyes from the water. "What do you care anyway?"

"Oh believe me, I don't care," she answered. "I'm just…curious is all."

"There's no rule that says you have to be happy on your birthday. And the only reason I'm even having this stupid party is because I have to. 'The daughter of Lord Hideyoshi can't have her 10th birthday going unnoticed by anyone in the land.' " Hoshi used a mocking voice for the last sentence.

Sakura was surprised to hear what the princess was saying. With the rude arrogance she had been displaying since they met, Sakura had assumed it was Hoshi who insisted on a party full of the children of every noble in the Land of Fire. "So if you don't care about it, then why not let any adults on the grounds during the celebration? It would be a lot safer for you all." Sakura's tone was inquisitive. She was not intending to reprimand the girl and insight any argument.

"I know it would be, but at least it would suck a little less."

Hoshi's explanation made no sense to Sakura. She suspected there might have been some underlying reason for her absurd party conditions, but did not press her further. It was not her business to pry into the princess's affairs.

"Ok, so you got your answers. You can leave already."

Despite the truthfulness of her statement, Sakura could not bring herself to leave just yet. A part of her, the part that remembered what it was like living without her own mother at Hoshi's age, ached for her to somehow help the girl. She might not have had the best attitude in the world, but Ten Ten had a point. Hoshi lost her mother, and at such a young age. Was it really just to hold her rudeness against her when it was simply a cry for help?

All these thoughts circled Sakura's head as she motioned to leave. But before turning away, she finally got enough nerve to say something. "Look…I know you lost your mother a little while back and I know you must still be hurting. But…please…don't let it drain your heart of loving life." Sakura turned her back to her. "I realize you're under no obligation to listen to a word I say but I'm asking you to hear me out anyway. You can't let yourself fall into a pit of loneliness by pushing people away. And you _can_ move on you know. You have your sisters, and your father, and Haruka-san – all people who care about you. People have lost much more than you have and still managed to survive. Don't disgrace your mother's memory by wasting your life away with bitterness on her account. I'm sure she wouldn't have wanted that."

After imparting her words of wisdom, the pink-haired girl walked away to join her group, praying that at least a part of her message had sunk in. Hoshi had not bothered to face Sakura or even remove her eyes from the water during the entire exchange. However, the pool below her face began to ripple gently as fresh tears splashed onto its surface.

* * *

**Thank you once again for all the comments and encouragement! I hope you're enjoying this filler-ish mission and seeing more of the Konoha 11/12**

**Can't wait to hear what you guys thought so please review! The time I post another chapter depends on it!**

**Help Needed: Can anyone tell me what the Japanese suffix is for "lord"? I wanted to use something for "Lord Hideyoshi" other than "Hideyoshi-sama" but my knowledge of the proper Japanese suffixes is limited. Thanks for you help!**


	30. The Dance

******Thanks so much for everyone who read and reviewed!**

******A special thanks to those who helped answer my question. Most people suggested -dono, however I was informed by a reliable source that -dono is more for a junior officer to a senior and is too informal for what I was going for. I will therefore be using -hanshu. And if I'm still using it wrong...well like I said before, I don't pretend to be an expert in Japanese honorfics so if I'm butchering the language, my sincerest apologies. Thanks so much for everyone's help though! Whether I used it or not, I really appreciated your input (plus it's nice to know that people actually read my A/N's :P).**

**Now without further ado...**

* * *

**_The Dance_**

That evening, the ninja were preparing themselves for the party. Their plan was simple. One team would remain outside the party, surrounding the mansion and protecting it from being penetrated from the outside. This group of 7 comprised of Shikamaru, Chouji, Naruto, Shino, Kiba, Hinata and Ten Ten. The other 4 - Sakura, Sasuke, Neji and Ino - would pose as guests and defend the party-goers from any enemies that successfully infiltrated the grounds or got passed the first team.

Currently the celebration was already underway. Guests from all across the land were being escorted by child-servants into a grand ballroom. The room itself was adorned with alternating pink and gold streamers leading from the walls and converging on the crystal chandelier that hung majestically in the center of the space. There were tables along one corner with snacks and a non-alcoholic bar, and at the opposite corner was a miniature version of the elephant fountain that stood near the mansion's entrance. Under the chandelier was a large wooden platform that was the dance floor, elevated about 1 cm above the carpeted ground.

Earlier that day Haruka had provided Sasuke and Neji with yukata, and the boys were already in the ballroom when the room began to fill with guests. However Sakura and Ino were still with Akari and Hikari getting ready. The twins had insisted that if the girls were trying to pose as princesses then their preparation required a princess's touch. Ino squealed enthusiastically at this idea, but Sakura merely sighed in defeat as the girls were dragged into the twins' bedroom.

Sasuke's eyes scanned the room as he searched for their female partners. "What's taking them so long?" whispered Sasuke to Neji, who was standing beside him with his arms folded. "The princess has already made her grand entrance and they're still not here."

Just as the Uchiha's eyes circled the room for the fourth time, Ino's head popped through on of the two doors leading into the room. She had her hair in a single bun with two chopsticks stabilizing it and was wearing a sky blue kimono with intricate white flower patterns along one side.

Ino stepped one foot through the door before she gave a premature pause and turned her head to the outside of the room. As far as Sasuke could tell, the blonde seemed annoyed with something as she stood impatiently with her hand on her hip. After a couple more seconds, Ino disappeared behind the corner of the door frame and a second later a pink-haired beauty fell abruptly through the doorway and into the room. Sasuke had to examine the girl for a few moments before he realized who it was.

_S-Sakura…?_

The kunoichi in disguise had her bangs clipped at the back of her head, fully revealing her immaculate, lightly make-upped face. Her attire comprised of a beautiful white kimono with pink cherry blossom petals decorating the entire gown. Despite the fact that she looked absolutely gorgeous, the girl seemed rather uncomfortable as Ino coaxed her into the room.

According to the plan, the four ninja were not to ever congregate altogether for fear of drawing suspicion to themselves. However, this did not stop a part of Sasuke from wanting to approach his teammate. Whether it was for her company or to admire her appearance without squinting, he could not tell.

"We should start making our rounds," grumbled Neji abruptly as he motioned away from Sasuke towards the right. Shortly after Neji bypassed the crowds and disappeared, Kako coincidentally passed in front of Sasuke. She seemed to be searching avidly for someone as she whispered into her stuffed rabbit's ear and continued on her way around the ball room.

The Uchiha shook his head and mirrored Neji's movements as he walked to the left.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The first hour went by without incident. Sakura and the others made small-talk with the guests as party-goers mingled around the snack table and danced to the ballroom music on the dance floor.

Currently Sakura was humming to the music in a corner, watching the dance floor, when she detected a familiar presence at her side.

"What is it Neji?" she asked, turning to her comrade.

The Hyuga averted his eyes from the kunoichi as she stared at him for a moment. He clenched his fist, battling with himself to find the nerve to talk, before he closed his eyes and answered, "Will you dance with me, Sakura?" Sakura furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, and sensing this, Neji mumbled a response to her unasked question. "Kako-hime…"

Almost on cue, the little princess appeared in one of the gaps on the dance floor and was making her way toward them, excitement in her eyes. "…Um…_please_, Sakura." The words barely slipped through his teeth but Sakura could hear the desperation in his voice.

The girl chuckled to herself lightly, although Neji's expression told her he clearly did not see the humor of the situation. "Alright, let's just do this."

Neji took her outstretched arm without hesitation and led his dance partner onto the platform. "You know…I-I've never done anything like this before," said Sakura apprehensively, as Neji put his left arm around her waist. "I'm probably not any good…"

"There is nothing to it," said Neji, a lot more relaxed now that he had a companion with him to keep Kako at bay for the time being. He smirked as Sakura fumbled with the correct way to put her own hands. "Here…" Neji lead one of the kunoichi's arms around his shoulder and grasped the other with his own. "You see. It is quite simple really." The Hyuga began to lead them to the beat of the music, swaying back and forth gracefully on the wooden platform.

"You're very good at this Neji," said Sakura, noting the fluidity of the boy's movements.

"We have quite a few parties like this on the Hyuga compound," replied Neji matter-of-factly. "My skill only comes from unavoidable practice. However, you seem to be a natural at it Sakura." One corner of his mouth tightened into a small smile as he said the last part.

"R-Really?…I-I can't tell…"

"You are very easy to lead. You respond instantly to my movements," he answered simply. "But then, you are also very nimble when you fight so I cannot really say I am surprised."

Sakura's cheeks would have looked slightly pink if not for the foundation on her face. She could never shake the embarrassed feelings that surfaced within her when receiving compliments from others. "I-If you say so, Neji…"

"You seem tense," said the silver-eyed boy after another moment of their waltz. "I apologize if this dancing is upsetting you. We could stop."

"Uh…oh…n-no, no. It's not that, well not really. I-It's just…well I guess the whole situation is just a bit new to me," she recovered. "Hair…make-up…kimono…dancing…I think it's just making me a bit uncomfortable."

"You have no reason to be," answered Neji in the terse way he always spoke. "You dance beautifully, and as far as your appearance goes, you look absolutely stunning Sakura."

Sakura was certain by now that, make-up or no, her cheeks must have been radiant at this point. Neji, however, seemed unfazed as he smiled softly at the girl before him. Why did he have to be so gentlemanly and polite, throwing her compliments left, right and center? He was probably trying to show his gratitude, she figured, for saving him from his admiring pursuer.

The kunoichi gave a painful smile. "U-Um…t-thank you, Neji…"

"No thanks is necessary, Sakura. I say this because it is the truth." He began to increase his pace as they circled together for another couple minutes. "I hope you won't think me too bold in giving you another request, Sakura?"

The girl was concentrating too intently on the dance movements to immediately register that the Hyuga was addressing her. "Hm? W-What?"

"It isn't as tedious as ballroom dancing," Neji assured her. "But once we all return to Konoha…would you be interested in sparring with me?"

Sakura shifted her focus from her feet to the boy smiling before her. "You want a match…with me?"

The boy nodded, his stoic appearance revealing a degree of enthusiasm. "I would like to assess how my skills fair against your water jutsu."

His statement seemed impassive enough, however Sakura had spent enough time with Sasuke to be able to read beneath dispassionate words. Translated roughly, Neji was saying that he respected Sakura as both a ninja and a comrade, enough that he deemed her worthy of providing him some sort of challenge in a fight.

Sakura gave a genuine smile, but there was a competitive edge to it. "If you're looking to subject yourself to an inevitable defeat, Neji, then who am I to get in the way?"

Neji smirked. "If we are going to go by fate, then I believe _I_ will be the one standing the victor."

"Is that a challenge?"

The two ninja continued glaring each other down playfully when Neji received a tap on his shoulder, causing them both to halt.

"Excuse me," said the boy who interrupted them, smiling widely. "Would you mind if I cut in? It's hardly fair for one guy to get the most beautiful girl at this party all to himself." The young man looked to be about their age. He had a handsome face with dark, spiky hair that was tied in the back close to his neck.

Neji narrowed his eyes in annoyance at the unknown boy as he released Sakura from his hold. "By all means," he said, the words themselves polite but his tone empty of all courtesy.

The boy grinned back, completely ignoring the Hyuga's underlying hostility. Sakura looked from side to side, meeting smile then frown, before she shook her head. "I appreciate the offer, b-but…um…I think I'm just going to sit this one out."

"Don't be ridiculous, Sakura" said Neji, his eyes not shifting from the boy before them. "It would be impolite for you to refuse him, just as it would be rude of me not to yield to his request."

The young man chuckled lightly. "Hahaha…a real charmer, this one. Huh? Come on, cutie, I'll show you a good time. I promise." He ended with a wink in Sakura's direction

Before another word could be said, the stranger began to take Sakura's hand and lead her deeper into the crowd of dancers. Neji looked on with abhorrence at the boy's wide grin until the two disappeared from his view.

"What's going on?" said Sasuke, frowning as he stood next to Neji and faced the direction the Hyuga was fixed on. It seemed as though he had seen the entire exchange. "Why is that guy taking Sakura to dance?"

"Because according to him, Sakura is the most beautiful girl at the ball." His antagonistic gaze remained focused on the dance floor.

"He dropped a comment like that when he just met her?" answered Sasuke, his tone laced with the same disgust at this male stranger that Neji's voice carried. "What gives him the right to say anything like that…I don't care how true it is."

There was a pause as Neji turned to his side. Sasuke gritted his teeth as he continued staring at the crowd of dancers, looking for Sakura. The Hyuga then shifted his eyes back to the crowd. "…Agreed."

The two boys were standing silently together for another moment when...

"Blast, she's found me!" whispered Neji harshly. The Hyuga abandoned his post without hesitation as he scrambled deep into the crowds.

"Pretty-chan…?" called a small girl as she hobbled passed Sasuke, looking frantically from side to side. "Pretty-chan…?" She had a silent consultation with her stuffed rabbit and then ran to the snack bar.

Sasuke shook his head in exasperation as he walked into the sea of dancers in search of his teammate.

0 0 0 0 0

Meanwhile, the young man already had Sakura in his arms as they swayed in harmony to the music. The boy continued to smile brightly at his partner. "Please excuse my manners. I normally introduce myself before I ask anyone to dance. You are just far too breath-taking for me to think straight, beautiful. My name is Idate."

Sakura had to clear her throat before she could choke out her response. "I-I'm Sakura."

"Sakura," echoed Idate, pausing in thought for a moment. "A fitting name for someone as lovely you, however I think I prefer Beautiful." He ended with another charming grin.

Sakura felt her voice catch in her throat again. The boy certainly had a way with words. If Sakura didn't know any better, she would have thought this guy might have been flirting with her.

But that would just be ridiculous.

_He's just trying to be friendly, _she told herself. _Yeah, that's all…_

"So, do you know the birthday-girl personally?" asked Idate conversationally.

"I-I only met her recently actually," answered Sakura, trying to keep to the truth as much as possible. She really was a terrible liar.

Idate chuckled. "A real piece of work, huh?"

"W-Well…" she began, unsure of how to respond. "I mean…she isn't _that_ awful I guess."

"You're kidding! Why, just the sight of her makes little girls cringe in fear!"

Sakura laughed lightly. "Maybe, but everyone has a reason for why they act the way they do."

"Perhaps," answered Idate. "But I'm not too convinced though. It's no wonder there are ninja after her."

Sakura gave a small gasp in surprise, but tried to keep her features as impassive as possible. Thankfully, Idate seemed pre-occupied with his own thoughts as his eyes roamed around the room before they landed on the girl before him once again.

"I wouldn't be surprised if some of them decided to attack her here tonight," he said, his voice void of its effervescent charm. His dark eyes met Sakura's concerned evergreen orbs for a moment before he gave a wide grin. "Hey, no need to get worked up about it though, Beautiful. If anything happens, I'll protect you. Don't worry."

"My hero," answered Sakura sarcastically, her smile matching his. Her face did not betray the cascade of thoughts Idate's words triggered. _So we were right. There __**are**__ ninja targeting the princess. But why? And how would this Idate now about it? He seems pretty certain they would attack tonight. Was he trying to…warn me? But no one is supposed to know there are any ninja here. How would he…?_

Sakura tried not to eye her dancing partner too suspiciously as he twirled her around the room. He was exceptionally good, she had to admit. The grace he carried matched that of Neji's, however he demonstrated a much wider range of movements than the Hyuga. Despite her troubled thoughts, Sakura found herself actually managing to enjoy their musical frolicking. She was becoming a tad more confident on the dance floor as her time dancing increased.

"You mind if I take it from here?" came a voice beside them, prompting the couple to arrest their movements.

It was Sasuke. Sakura almost lost their cover by uttering her teammate's name, however the belligerence which his narrowed eyes conveyed to Idate confused her enough for her not to say a word.

Idate disengaged from his partner, grinning at the raven-haired boy. "Oh by all means, yes. I shoulda figured I wasn't going to have a looker like her all to myself for too long." Before releasing her right hand from his, Idate pulled it toward his lips and kissed it gently. "It has been a pleasure, Beautiful. I will be praying for the day our paths cross each other once again, if only for a moment."

Heat radiated from Sakura's cheeks, while Sasuke continued piercing the young man with his dagger-like gaze. No sooner had Idate relinquished the girl's hand from his than Sasuke slid in between them and towards Sakura, taking her small hand into his own and gripping it tightly. The Uchiha continued glaring at the smiling boy. "You can leave now, you know," he said coldly.

Idate chuckled lightly. "Oh of course. I'm sorry. I must have been lost in her beauty again."

Sasuke slipped his hand around Sakura's waist protectively, ushering her away from the irritatingly alluring young man who continued smiling in amusement despite Sasuke's hostile undertone.

0 0 0 0 0

Sakura did not know what to make of the entire exchange. However she was certain of one thing and one thing only: Sasuke didn't like Idate very much.

She placed an arm around Sasuke's shoulder as they began to move to the music. Sakura looked up at her teammate anxiously. His features were rigid and cold, his eyes fixed angrily away from the girl before him. He had not said one word to her since he had interrupted her dance with Idate, and she was curious as to the reason for his actions. The young man seemed nice enough, at least. But Sasuke's expression told her it wasn't the time to be questioning him, not before he cooled off a little.

As they swayed to the music, Sakura distracted herself by observing their movements. She did not appreciate the different styles people used when dancing before that night. Every partner she had so far brought a different flavor to their dancing. Neji's dance-steps were all about technique. Every movement he made was deliberate and demonstrated technical accuracy. His form lacked flexibility, but it was probably the textbook example of what ballroom dancing was. Idate on the other hand showed much more variation in his dancing. He took risks with his moves, never repeating the same one twice. It was hardly dull, as a result, and it kept his partner constantly alert throughout the dance.

But dancing with Sasuke now was different still from the other two boys. He did not lead as much. As they circled the dance floor, Sakura felt more like they were flowing with each other, together, as one, rather than one leading while the other followed. His movements were suggestions which she chose to follow. And she found when she made a few suggestions of her own, his body would yield and follow hers. She really liked this aspect of dancing with Sasuke. Based on his personality, she was expecting him to be much more controlling. But then she thought of the Sasuke she knew one-on-one and ignored the persona he portrayed in a group, and she shook her head.

No…dancing in this way was _exactly_ like the Sasuke she knew. Gentle and easy…yes, that was how it was when she was with the real Sasuke.

After a few silent minutes, Sakura motioned to free herself from her teammate's grip. The song they were dancing to was coming to an end and although this was entertaining, their priority was to protect the princess after all. She was able to free her arms, however Sasuke's hand remained fixed around her waist.

"Sasuke? I-I really enjoyed this dance and everything, but we have a job to do, remember? We can't just stay here and-"

"He's still watching," he answered simply. From the threatening tone in his voice, she knew he was talking about Idate, although she herself couldn't see the boy in question anywhere. "He's just going to take you to dance again if you leave."

Sakura screwed her lips together in confusion. She couldn't really understand why that would be such an awful thing, or why Sasuke took it upon himself to save her from the not-at-all-horrible young man. Did Sasuke think he was an enemy ninja? The boy did seem to have knowledge that there would be an attack tonight. Perhaps Sasuke sensed something off about him that would indicate him as a possible threat. Yes, that must have been it. It was the only reason Sakura could think of as to why Sasuke would be acting this way...well, the only _logical_ reason anyway.

They stopped swaying together as another song began to play. The rhythm of this one was off though. Sakura noticed the tempo was a lot slower than the others that had been playing, and the melody was far less complex. Her ears were not well versed in music, but she knew enough to surmise that the type of dancing they were doing before would not work so well with this tune.

"We slow dance to this," said Sasuke, understanding Sakura's hesitation. "It's actually less complicated than what we've been doing. Just do what they do." He motioned his head to the dancers surrounding them.

Sakura noted their positions. It seemed very intimate to her though, as she watched the couples leaning against each other and swaying gently to the music. Sakura felt her heart pounding abnormally loud in her chest as she began to imagine herself doing the same thing. She did not understand why though. Ninja were masters of disguise and it was essential that they be able to blend in anywhere. This was just another part of their mission, she told herself.

Sakura stepped closer to Sasuke, placing her arm over his shoulder and closer to his neck. Sasuke secured his own hand around the side of Sakura's hip and took her other hand into his own, resting it against his chest as he continued to hold her hand tenderly. They began to move together smoothly, shifting their weights from one foot to the other as they motioned from side to side.

The situation she was in felt strange, but not at all unpleasant; it was just very unfamiliar territory. She was very apprehensive in the beginning; her hammering heart was evidence of that. But as the seconds ticked by, she began to feel a lot more at ease. It was almost comforting.

Yes…comfort.

That was what she felt now as she began to register the warmth that pulsated from her gripped hand through her entire body. It was just like back in the hospital, she remembered, when she had confessed to him about her nightmares. He allowed her to cry into his shoulder, steadied her fears with the same gentle touch he was giving her now, and when he had promised that he would never allow her nightmares to come to pass, she believed him. The vow sounded ridiculous - rationally speaking - and completely unfounded. And yet…she believed him. With every fiber of her being, she believed him.

Their movements began to lull her to sleep as Sakura rested her head against her friend's chest. She noted with a smile how much more pronounced their height difference became over their time together as members of Team 7. Her nose barely reached above his shoulder so that her right cheek pressed securely against him.

Sasuke tilted his head forward in response to her actions. Her movements were unexpected but he felt no inkling to complain, even as her hair tickled the side of his cheek and its scent invaded his nostrils. _She always smells the same…_ he thought. _Like cherry blossoms…_

To say that he didn't particularly like dancing very much would have been an understatement. The truth was, he absolutely hated it. Before the Uchiha massacre, he had been coaxed into many dances by his relatives during any and all festivities that took place on their compound. This party reminded him of those despicable events, and he was avoiding the dance floor like the plague.

But seeing Sakura in the arms of _that guy_, dancing with him, smiling at him…it irked him to the point where no amount of dislike for the art of the dance could compare to the animosity he felt toward the young man who was shamelessly flirting with his teammate. The nerve of him, trying to use her for a good time. Sakura was innocent and unaware of the wiles men used on women, to entice them into falling for them only to hurt them in the end. He could not let her get hurt. He had to protect his Sakura.

_His_ Sakura…?

Since when did she become _his_ Sakura? No, no…his _teammate_, Sakura. Yes, that's what he meant.

Regardless of the sequence of events that lead to what he was doing now, however, he had to admit that dancing now did not feel completely unbearable. He would never go so far as to say he was having fun, but it wasn't awful. He could tell Sakura seemed to be enjoying herself at least. That made putting himself to the mercy of the music a bit more worthwhile. She was happy, smiling. _He _made her smile, not some flirtatious pervert. _He_ gave Sakura her first slow dance, not the charming bastard.

But…why did he care? Why should he be concerned about the happiness of anyone else but his own? Why did he feel so protective of the wellbeing of another over himself? His entire reason for existence has always been to become stronger in order to finally exact his revenge on his older brother for the murder of his clan. He always thought and felt that way, anyway.

But now, as he stood in the center of the dance floor with Sakura in his arms, he was beginning to realize that that had changed. His heart's prime concern had shifted from vengeance, and now it was only his mind that enslaved him with the chain of interlinked memories that connected him to his dark past and even darker ambitions. Given time, his mind would probably yield to his heart's new endeavors of friendship, and all thoughts of revenge would fade away if he let them.

The question was, did he _want_ to let them? He gritted his teeth as the pressing question, which had been plaguing his mind almost since he became a member of Team 7, resurfaced. Heart versus mind…would he have to choose between them one day? And if so then who would win…and what would he lose?

Sasuke gave Sakura's hand a reflexive squeeze, and she rubbed her thumb across his fingers tenderly in response.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"I can't believe the others get to have fun at that party while all of us are stuck out here on duty!"

"Naruto, this is the seventh time you've said that. Can you quit complaining? Sheesh you're giving me a headache."

"Yeah, well that's just 'cause this sucks so bad! Shikamaru, I know we all had to split up and everything, but how come Sakura and Sasuke are the ones who get to party and I'm the one who's left out?" He then mumbled a "stupid Sasuke" through his gritted teeth.

Shikamaru rubbed his temple bracingly. He was currently sitting on the rooftop above the mansion's entrance while Naruto stood on the opposite side. The frustrated chuunin was cursing himself silently, wondering why on earth he assigned Naruto to sit on the same rooftop as him instead of one of the other adjacent ones that Kiba, Shino, Hinata, Ten Ten and Chouji were guarding. Why didn't he put one of the other genin next to him? Any one of them would have made much less annoying company than the insufferable blonde.

"For the last time, Naruto. The ninja inside have to be able to engage in formal conversations and maintain proper etiquette and decorum. And in the event of an attack, they must also have enough self-control to fight without causing complete havoc and destruction to the room and the guests. Every shinobi at that party has those qualities…you, however, possess none."

"Hmf." Naruto crossed his arms, pouting angrily. He cast his eyes away from his leader out of spite and was looking out into the dark driveway. There was a glint of metal in the shadows that caught his eye and he cocked his head to the side dumbly.

"Huh? W-What was that?"

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**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!**

**I included a bit SakuxNeji specifically for you Neji lovers out there so I hope you liked it! Couldn't make it too fluffy though...I didn't want to make him out of character. It was really fun writing the whole Neji-Idate-Sasuke thing too...hehehe. I love making Sasuke all overprotective.**

**Now I got a question concerning whether the Kagura in my story is the same one from the Naruto Clash of Ninja Revolution games. The answer is yes...and no. In terms of looks and voice, visualize the character from the game. However, her back-story is different.**

**Also, Idate in my story looks and sounds like the Idate from the anime. But his back-story is different too.**

**Thanks once again to everyone who reviewed! More reviews are welcomed ^_^**

**More action on the way next chapter, I promise!**


	31. Evening the Odds

**Happy Holidays everyone!  
I know it's been a really reeeeeally long while since I updated and I sincerely apologize for that. I had a very hellish semester this Fall (no exaggeration) and I haven't had time to write much of anything really.**

**I haven't given up on this project just yet though! And as proof of that, here's a little gift for everyone in the spirit of the holidays...an actual update!**

**Thanks to everyone who is still reading and reviewing :) I truly do appreciate your support...404 reviews and counting! That really amazes my mind and touches my heart. Every time I think of just giving up on this, I read your reviews and my inner writer goes all "WTF 00Sakura00? You can't just throw in the towel now!" I really hope you enjoy it. I estimate updating at least one more time before my college break is over, promise!**

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_**Evening the Odds**_

Sakura and Sasuke continued to sway together peacefully, when the walls suddenly began to reverberate violently. The music stopped playing just as abruptly and the two ninja immediately separated and took up defensive stances, their eyes wildly searching for the source of the trouble.

The room gurgled with loud whispers of panic from the guests, their heads swiveling from side to side frantically. Many made their way to the two exits, but found they had been locked, sealing them inside. More panic ensued and the guests instinctively coalesced into one tight group at the corner behind the elephant fountain. The ninjas followed suite, not desiring to reveal their identities until the threat was located. They were certain there was trouble outside, with an army of attackers possibly trying to break-in to the mansion. That would have explained the loud vibrations.

But were these enemies also inside? Did some of them infiltrate the premises already? It would have explained why the room's exits were locked.

And sure enough, as the remaining party-goers converged in the corner, five guests were standing calmly in the center of the dance floor.

"Now now, everyone," said the one in the center of the group, both his hands in the air trying to indicate for the children to stop talking. "There is no need for you to panic. We mean you no harm at all. We only wished to have an audience with the honorable princess and wish her a happy birthday." The boy's comrades snickered at his sarcasm as they shed their dress-garments and revealed there fighting gear.

Sakura was eying the five young teens on the dance platform critically. Judging by the situation and their attire, she surmised they were ninja in cahoots with the attackers outside, and it appeared that the boy in the middle was the leader. He was of average height with a slightly muscular build and had shaggy dark hair and dark eyes. He adorned the same outfit as his companions: red and black armor with elbow-length black gloves. It was strikingly similar to what the Hidden Leaf's ANBU wore, save for the color scheme and lack of metallic arm guards.

"Now, where is our lovely hostess?" asked the only female of the group, feigning sweetness. She had long blue hair and viridian eyes. Sakura noted the long knuckle-blades in her hands with a pang of concern.

The largest among them, both in height and girth, made one stomp toward the crowd threateningly. He was bald and wore chain-metal gloves on his unusually hefty fists.

Sakura knew there was no more point to concealing their identities now. The eminent attack was their cue to take action and she leapt forward and out of the crowds, throwing shuriken at the dark-haired leader as she emerged. Sasuke, Neji and Ino followed suit, all four ninja abandoning their yukata and kimonos.

The young man brandished his now-unsheathed katana and deflected the projectiles easily. "I should have figured Lord Hideyoshi would hire a bunch of kid-ninja to protect his precious daughter. And some rude ones at that. Attacking us without warning like that, and you haven't even introduced yourselves. My name is Yamato."

"We're ninja of the Hidden Leaf," announced Sakura as she and her team landed gracefully between the crowd and the enemies. "...And we won't be allowing you to harm a single person at this party. That's all you need to know. Now, why are you targeting Hoshi-hime?"

"Our boss needs her help with something," answered Yamato. "And that's all _you_ need to know."

"Then I guess there isn't anything left to talk about," said the kunoichi. Her emerald eyes scanned her enemies one last time. They were outnumbered, 5 to 4. They weren't awful odds. But, with the added burden of protecting Hoshi and the onlookers, the Konoha shinobi had to keep all five enemies occupied at the same time. None could be given the opportunity to kidnap the princess in the midst of battle and escape.

_We should have assigned more people in here,_ thought Sakura. _What if there are more of them inside? Well, no use crying over spilt milk I guess. We just have to get through this as quickly as possible._

"You have quite an army outside," spoke Neji, his Byakugan eyes activated. "They appear to be the same ninja that attacked us the other day on our journey."

"Perceptive one, isn't he?" said the shortest of the four. He had the same deep blue hair and viridian eyes as the enemy kunoichi, except his hair was extremely short. They could have been siblings. The boy looked to be about four feet tall, but the serrated sword he had in his hand made him much more intimidating.

"I am also cognizant of the fact that you five are the only ones who have infiltrated the mansion."

Sakura was very appreciative of Neji at this point. He may have been speaking to the enemy, but she knew this was his coy way of informing his fellow shinobi that of the situation and the exact odds that were against them.

The remaining member of the five chuckled. He had a thin face, shoulder-length blonde hair, and blue-green eyes and was wielding a metallic staff. "Yeah so it's just five of us in here. There're still more than enough of us to take you guys out. Or are you not _cognizant _of the fact that you're outnumbered."

"Well the way I see it," said Sasuke, "five of you got in here. But none of you are getting out." The genin revealed his Sharingan eyes, readying himself for the inevitable clash.

"Enough small-talk already," whined the enemy kunoichi. "Can we start killing these ninja or what?"

Sakura was already resonating her senses and chakra with the water in the fountain behind them. She had an idea about how they were going to occupy five enemies at once, but in order for it to work she had to time her jutsu perfectly.

The leader, Yamato, took up a battle stance. "I suppose it's about time we get this show on the road then."

Just as they tensed themselves to leap into action, Sakura performed a flurry of hand seals. "Water Style: Water Wall!"

Some of the water behind them snaked its way, en masse, between the Konoha ninja and their foes and towered upwards into a wall. With the enemy held off from the group temporarily, Sakura called to her teammates. "Ino, use your Mind Transfer Justu! We need you to occupy two of them while the rest of us take out the other three as quickly as we can. Do _not_ fight to win, ok Ino. Just keep them distracted."

"I gotcha, Sakura!" Ino paused as she performed some hand signs. "Mind Transfer Jutsu!"

The blonde directed her attack at the wall and her spirit passed through the water and took control of the blue-haired kunoichi on the other side. As her real body slumped to the floor, Ino secured the knuckle-blades in her hands. She had watched Asuma wield these weapons enough times to have an idea of how they worked, and so she began attacking the leader. The ninja blocked her attack with his katana, yelling, "What the hell do you think you're doing Kitana?"

"Let's go guys!" Sakura released her jutsu and the Hidden Leaf shinobi rushed toward their enemies.

Sasuke leapt into a spinning kick which connected into the blonde ninja's face, knocking him to the right and away from the group. He supported himself with his staff, rubbing his bleeding lip. "Hoho, you're so going to regret doing that."

Meanwhile, Neji struck the blue-haired boy with his gentle fist, torpedoing him backwards. The boy flipped himself in the air so that he landed on his feet and smirked. "Bring it on, you little girl." Neji's Byakugan eyes continued to pierce the sword-wielding boy and he launched another attack.

This left Sakura and the large bald ninja. Before she could take up a battle stance after ending her jutsu, the ninja lunged at her with his two mighty fists. She scrambled to the side, the blows barely missing her as the ninja's knuckles collided into the ground where she once stood, leaving a pronounced depression in the cracked concrete.

_I guess his niche is super-strength_, thought Sakura as her foe pulled his fists out of the floor. _I can't let even one blow connect or it could be the end for me._

The ninja charged toward her once again but she was expecting him this time and leapt upward, throwing shuriken as she ascended into the air. The rogue crashed his fists into the ground with a boom and stood on his hands as he deflected the projectiles with a kick from his boots.

The enemy flipped himself onto his feet as Sakura alighted onto the floor. The bald ninja tensed himself for another attack and charged forward once again. The kunoichi performed some hand seals. "Water Style: Water Wall!"

The tower of water rose just in time to counter the technique, however to her surprise the ninja broke through the jutsu with ease and continued on his trajectory toward the Leaf ninja. Sakura leapt to the side reflexively, missing the full brunt of the attack. However, her foe's fist managed to brush the side of her left arm before it crashed into the wall behind her. Sakura winced as she heard a small crack at her side.

"Ngh…my arm…" She crouched to the floor and inspected her humerus with her uninjured hand gently. _It hurts but it doesn't look like it's broken…and I can still move my hand at least. He must have fractured it. _Sakura's eyes shifted from her injury to the puddle of water which now replaced her water wall.

_I didn't realize this ninja was so strong. I know I haven't had much practice with the water wall, but for him to break right through it so easily and still generate enough power to fracture my arm by just grazing it…this isn't good at all._

_

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_

Meanwhile, Sasuke was having some troubles of his own. Knowing he needed to do away with his blonde opponent quickly, the Uchiha did not hesitate to utilize his more powerful jutsu. When he first struck his foe, the genin immediately followed up with his Fire Ball justu. The enemy swirled his metallic staff into a swiftly revolving pole which beveled into the flame and extinguished it before the attack made contact.

Sasuke was taken aback by the defensive maneuver but he did not allow the tactic to faze him. Without allowing the ninja time to recover, he speedily moved in for close range combat. If ninjutsu didn't do the trick, then taijutsu was his only other option.

The Sharingan user twirled into his enemy with another spinning kick to the chest. However, the blonde halted the attack in midair with one side of his staff. The persistent genin held part of the rod near his blocked foot for stability. He then nimbly twisted his body, swinging his free leg upward and over the enemy in an attempt to slam his foot into the top of his skull. Anticipating the collision, the blonde whirled the other end of his staff to intercept the blow.

In the split second that Sasuke's entire body was caught against his opponent's weapon, the enemy ninja activated his staff with his chakra. A powerful electric current coursed through the rod. Sasuke winced as the current surged painfully through his body. He knew that the jolt would result in paralysis if the attack kept up another few seconds. Thinking quickly, he molded the chakra in his body into its lightning nature and forced it to flow counter to the direction of the attacker's electricity. This negated part of the enemy current so that he was partially shielded from the full force of the attack, giving him enough time to push himself off the rod with his feet and land away from the ninja.

Sasuke stumbled a bit as he descended upon the hard floor. He flexed his stiff muscles despite the discomfort it brought him to do so as he assessed the damage his opponent's attack had done.

_A couple more seconds and I wouldn't have been able to get out of there in time,_ thought Sasuke. _That staff of his is really starting to annoy me. _Sasuke narrowed his Sharingan eyes at his opponent's rod.

_It blocks every single move I throw at him. His entire attack and defensive strategy seems to center around his weapon. Beating him is nothing, if I could just get around his staff. The easiest approach is having one person occupy the staff while another attacks from behind. But I'm on my own. And how am I supposed to be in two places at once? _

_

* * *

_

Neji charged at the short, blue-haired boy but the ninja withdrew backwards quickly, ensuring there was about 5 meters between them. When the Hyuga dove in for another attack, the rogue brandished his sword in the Leaf ninja's direction. The blade suddenly detached into a lengthened chain of knives each connected in tandem by a flexible band of steel. The weapon bent and curled unnaturally under the influence of its owner's chakra, its movements resembling a snake as the razor-sharp tip struck at the genin with cruel elegance and speed.

The Byakugan user countered with his kunai at the last second, his feet buckling tightly as the weapons connected. It was a stalemate, each ninja refusing to give an inch. However, with his all-seeing eyes Neji sensed the body of the snake-like blade was looping around his right side for an attack. The Hyuga held his blocked kunai with both hands and shoved the sword's edge to the right while he leapt to his left then dashed toward his opponent.

The enemy swung his bladed whip horizontally at his attacker and Neji jumped to avoid the attack. While he was still in the air, the weapon doubled back and the tip speared toward the Hyuga. Neji blocked with his kunai accordingly, however without any footing to stabilize himself, the impact of the blow hurtled him backwards.

As Neji was being propelled, the body of the whip curled to his side yet again. The ninja twisted his torso as he used the blade's tip against his kunai for support to spin himself out of the way. He managed to avoid being cut in half by the second attack, however the serrated whip ripped the side of his upper arm before he distanced himself enough from the blade so that it could not reach him for another strike.

Neji pressed his hand against his bleeding right arm, ignoring the pain of his flesh-wound._ Judging by his movements, it is clear he wishes to keep me at a safe distance away from him while he continues to attack me,_ thought Neji as the whip snaked tauntingly back and forth like the tip of a playful cat's tail. _He is a mid-ranged attacker, and by now he must have ascertained that I am a close-ranged fighter. I am probably the worst kind of opponent to have against him, but it matters not. _Neji balled his injured arm's fist together in defiance. _I have two options now: either out-maneuver his weapon so that I can get into close-range, or somehow incapacitate the weapon altogether. _

* * *

Sakura continued to soothe her injured forearm as she watched the bald ninja heave his fists out of the ground after charging at her for the third time with yet another attack. The kunoichi narrowed her eyes in suspicion. _Wait a minute…if he's so strong then why does he need to struggle to get his fists out of the floor? If he can generate enough force to crack bone by just brushing past it, then lifting his hands from concrete should be a piece of cake. Maybe there's more to his strength than I thought. _

She straightened up from her bent position, releasing her fractured arm. _It's going to hurt like hell to perform any jutsu, but I don't have a choice. I need to watch him use his strength more closely._

Sakura grimaced as she moved both hands together into the seal of the tiger. "Water Clone Justu." 2 water clones rose from the puddles of water on the ground and took up defensive stances as Sakura leapt onto the elephant fountain to get a bird's eye view of her foe.

"Hmf. You think clones can stop me?" scoffed the large ninja. He clenched his fists tightly together and sprinted toward the fake Sakura's, hurling his fists forward.

Sakura watched each phase of the enemy's attack keenly - from the moment he lifted his fists until the time they destructively collided with the water clones, a wave of water erupting over his hands as they slammed into the floor. _He uses chakra, that much is clear_, she thought._ He concentrates a huge amount into his fists the moment before it hits his target. Then…_ She watched the rogue heave his embedded knuckles from the concrete. _…he dissipates the chakra before he lifts his fists. But…that's kind of odd to do. _

_I assumed the chakra increases his muscle strength, but if so then why release the chakra before you get your fist out of the floor instead of straining yourself to get it out with your normal strength. And starting and stopping chakra like that is very inefficient to do as well. Why would he make his attack like that? Unless his attack doesn't work any other way. But why?_

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows in confusion._ The only thing I can conclude from this is that I was wrong. His power doesn't come from temporarily increasing muscle strength, like I thought. But what is it then? He doesn't release chakra into his target to destroy it like Tsunade-sama does. I need to see a more exaggerated attack this time._

Sakura bit her lip as she uncomfortably began to perform a few hand seals. "Water Style: Water Wall."

"Hahaha, not this jutsu again," said the rogue as a tower of water rose between him and the fountain on which Sakura was standing. "You must really be getting desperate."

Sakura closed her eyes and focused on her enemy's chakra signature while he proceeded to destroy the wall. As she expected, the ninja pummeled through the tower seamlessly and made his way toward her. Sensing his quick approach, she leapt off the water feature gracefully just as the stone elephant began to crumble under the might of her opponent's fists.

_So that's what's happening, _she thought as a small torrent of cold water from the now non-existent fountain rushed over her feet on the floor. _Let's think through this a little. He concentrates chakra in his fist the moment before it connects, generating an exponentially larger force. And since his fist is moving, I can assume it has something to do with increased kinetic energy. And…well kinetic energy goes up by increasing velocity. _Sakura screwed her lips together and shook her head in disapproval. _No, that can't be the trick. I didn't sense his attack speed increase at all before, during or even after his blows connected. It can't be increased energy due to heightened velocity. _

_So what else factors into kinetic energy? Um…now what did that physics book say about it…um…it's also affected by…uh…mass! Yes, if two objects travel at the same speed but have different masses then the one with the greater mass will possess more energy and generate a larger force. Wait that's it! He exponentially increases the mass of his fists by concentrating chakra into it. And he does it while his fist is already in motion just before it connects so his fists don't weigh him down before the attack. That also explains why he releases his chakra after the attack; it's so he can make them lighter so he can lift his fists back up. _

A small smile decorated Sakura's face. _If my theory is right, then this guy's whole technique relies on movement. So all I have to do to beat him… _Sakura raised her palms over the layer of water on the ground and curled her hands swiftly. _…is immobilize him before he can make another move._ A rope of water snaked around each of the bald ninja's fists which were still pressed against the concrete. Two others held his legs and another fastened around his torso.

"W-What the hell?" He struggled against his bindings, his efforts proving completely fruitless.

"The fact you can't free yourself proves my theory," said Sakura as she walked toward her bound adversary. "It's over." She struck a pressure point at the back of her opponent's neck, rendering him unconscious. _Well that was surprisingly simple enough…n__ow, to help Ino._

* * *

Sasuke continued eying his golden-haired opponent as he shook off the after-effects of the electroshock he received from the enemy's staff. _The quickest way to deal with this guy is to occupy his staff while another attack hits him from behind. But no one can be in two places at once…well, unless you can produce shadow clones like Naruto. Still…when you get right down to it, all the dobe really does is produce multiple attacks from different directions. Maybe…maybe that's all I need to do too…_

Sasuke began to perform another flurry of hand seals. "Take this! Fire Style: Phoenix Flower jutsu!"

"Don't you learn," said the blonde ninja in amusement as several small balls of fire shot haphazardly towards him. "Your flames can't hurt me if they can't even touch me." His staff glowed with a blue hue as he forced chakra into it. He then twirled it swiftly, just as he had before. The spinning motion generated a gust of wind which extinguished the flames. However, small glints of metal remained and continued to sparkle toward him. "Hiding shuriken in the flames ay? What a clever ninja you are." The sound of metal meeting metal clanged loudly as he struck each of the projectiles with his staff. "Didn't expect me to see them did you?"

"Actually," came a voice behind the ninja as he blocked the last shuriken, "I was counting on it." Before the blonde realized what was happening, he found himself on the receiving end of a hard kick and was sailing into the air. "It's over!" A wave of blue appeared before the rogue as he began to receive a flurry of kicks to the abdomen, the last one connected hard into his gut as his body recoiled upwards from hitting the floor. "Lions Barrage!"

The blonde gave a soundless gasp, his eyes wide and unfocused before he slipped into unconsciousness. "Your first mistake was letting yourself get distracted by direct attacks. And the second was thinking I wouldn't be fast enough to sneak up behind you right after launching a jutsu." Sasuke smirked to himself in triumph. "Never underestimate the power of the Uchiha."

* * *

Neji charged forward for another assault. Just as before, the whip's tip sprung forward for a direct attack while the body coiled to one side of the Leaf ninja. Neji blocked the first attack with his kunai, however instead of dodging the second blow he unsheathed another kunai and countered the whip's body with his weapon.

Just as Neji anticipated, the whip-like blade lengthened as it began to coil around him to attack his other side. With both hands occupied, the boy was seemingly defenseless against the attack. But Neji was of the Hyuga clan, a master at rotational taijutsu. He heaved the whip off of one kunai and used it to strike against the third attack. Knocking that one off, he returned back to the previously block blade and struck it backwards again. He continued to rhythmically knock back one attack and defend against another. The pace grew more expeditious as the whip wound around him three times over.

Neji knew the ninja was attempting to ensnare him; based on the enemy's previous movements, he was anticipating it. The weapon encircled his body, the space between the blades he was knocking backwards and his upper body growing smaller and smaller.

_It's time_, thought Neji. The boy's spinning movements suddenly began to increase in pace as the air around him adopted a blue haze. Soon after, the haze evolved into a clearly define dome which encircled the rotating genin and expanded sharply without recoil against the ensnaring whip. "Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation."

Being unable to accommodate the larger chakra structure it was now encircling, the weapon exploded apart, pieces of the blades jetting in all directions away from the epicenter of the defensive attack.

"Impossible!" yelled the rogue as Neji's body gradually came to a halt.

"Did you honestly believe I could be subdued by such an obvious weapon? Your sword is useless now." Neji motioned to the shards of metal splayed on the floor. "I'd wager you aren't much of a shinobi without your little toy."

The Hyuga took a taunting step forward and the boy held out his drooping chain of metal threateningly. "H-Hey! Y-You stay the hell away from me! You got it? O-Or I'll-"

In the next instant, Neji appeared before the small boy and slammed his Gentle Fist into the rogue's gut, causing him to collapse to the floor. "I have no time to entertain your pitiful pleas," Neji muttered in disdain. "As a shinobi, such conduct in the midst of defeat is simply deplorable."

Neji shifted his gaze from the unconscious ninja at his feet to find Sakura and Sasuke dashing toward the other corner of the room. He joined his comrades as they approached the fight between the leader and Ino.

Ino, still occupying the enemy kunoichi's body, was bracing herself against the leader's flaming katana with her knuckle blades. She was panting heavily, her brow sparkled with sweat from both effort and the heat of the blade that was nearing her face.

Sasuke threw his shuriken at the rogue, Yamato. Sensing the attack, he was forced to retreat away from Ino. As Yamato distanced himself from the kunoichi, the other 3 Leaf shinobi appeared at her side.

"I can't (pant) hold onto her much longer," breathed Ino. "I've just about exhausted all my chakra."

They nodded. "Are you ready?" asked Neji, taking up his battle stance against the girl.

Ino sighed in affirmation and placed her hands together. "Release!" No sooner had the words escaped her mouth than Neji slammed his palm in the un-possessed kunoichi's gut, knocking her out.

The real Ino, who was a couple of meters away from them, began to stir. Her features carried the same amount of exhaustion as they had when she was in the rogue's body.

"Great work Ino," said Sakura as they all faced the last of the 5 rogues. "Now all we have left to do is take care of-"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The sound of bodies hammering against the room exits interrupted their focus on the enemy ninja as their attention shifted toward the doors.

"They're trying to get in," said Neji, his Byakugan eyes tensed in concentration. "About half a dozen at each door."

"Hahahaha," chuckled Yamato. "Looks like your friends outside missed a few. It's only a matter of time before more of our ninja storm in here. Just face it. You're far too outnumbered to-"

"Give it a rest, will you?" interrupted Sasuke in annoyance. He turned to Sakura. "Well leader, what do we do?"

Sakura looked at the three genin before her, awaiting her instruction. It was up to her now to come up with a way out of the situation, to not only save the princess but them as well. She didn't trust herself to know the right approach, but the eyes staring back at her portrayed the utmost confidence in her abilities. They believed in her. And for their sakes, she had to believe in herself too.

She balled her hand into a fist while her mind gripped with their predicament. "We won't be able to take them all out if they get in here, not while protecting the princess and the guests anyway." She took a momentary pause, closing her eyes in contemplation before they snapped open seconds later. "That leaves us with only one option…"

* * *

**Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I'd love to hear your thoughts, what you liked, what could be improved, etc...so please please review!**

**The next installment will be on its way soon!**


	32. A Wild Night

**An early New Year's gifty comin at'cha...another update!**

**There was such an overwhelming response to my last update, I knew I had to get this out earlier than planned! I didn't know you guys missed me that much? Thanks to everyone for your patience and committment...and your reviews too! I dedicate this early update to you ^_^**

* * *

**_A Wild Night_**

Neji and Ino charged at Yamato while Sakura and Sasuke went toward the crowd to find Hoshi.

"Hoshi-hime," said Sakura, crouching so that she was at eye-level with the princess. Her eyes registered the fear in the little girl's face as her three sisters held onto her protectively. Sakura made her voice as gentle as possible. "Listen to me. These ninja are after you, and currently there aren't enough of us in here to be able to protect you. But outside…there are much more of us, and we have a better means of escape should the situation worsen. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"You want to carry me outside," stated Hoshi, her voice rather small but conveying a glimmer of strength. Sakura nodded.

Hoshi motioned forward but felt a tug on her golden gown which halted her movement. "D-Don't go, Oni-chan," came a tiny voice at Hoshi's waist. "Y-You'll hurt."

Hoshi smiled softly at her little sister. "Kako…if I stay in here, _you_ might get hurt. If I leave, they'll follow after me. At least that way, I can keep you safe, Ok? I have to go…" Hoshi hugged the little girl tightly and nodded to the twins before she turned to Sakura and Sasuke. "I'm ready."

"No one will hurt you while you're with me," said Sakura fervently. "That's a promise."

Hoshi stared into Sakura's intrepid evergreen orbs, security washing over her as she did so. "Ok." The princess climbed onto Sakura's back and the two ninja dashed toward one of the exits.

"Don't worry," said Sakura as Sasuke ran ahead of her. "Once Neji and Ino defeat this Yamato person, they will be taking your sisters and the other guests to a safe place. Your family will be safe, and so will you."

Sasuke reached the door first and launched himself onto it at top speed, breaking it off its hinges and lying it flat on the rogues on the other side. He blew a fireball at the surrounding ninja that were not currently pinned down by the wooden board, clearing the way as Sakura leapt through the doorway and ran with her teammate towards the main entrance where their friends were.

A chaotic sight met their eyes as they exited the palace. A large army of Naruto's was barricading the doors as best they could while and even larger army of rogue ninja were attempting to break through. Meanwhile, the other Leaf shinobi were engaged in combat with the remaining battalion of ninja.

Sakura was assessing the situation from where she stood, trying to come up with a strategy before any of the rogues realized the princess's presence. Yamato had a point - they were badly outnumbered. Although Sakura was confident that they were not outmatched in terms of skill, she could not say quality was that much better than quantity in this case. But it had to be. Or at least she had to make it so.

The gigantic elephant fountain in the center of the square caught her eye and she was truck with an idea. The water vortex jutsu. She knew she could make it large enough to strike every rogue in the courtyard. But there was a drawback - she did not yet master it enough to make it both large and powerful. As the size of the wave increased, the pressure of the justu to incapacitate foes decreased. If she wanted to hit all of them, all she would manage to do is drench them and knock them off their feet. Nothing remotely fatal.

The pink-haired kunoichi sighed in seeming defeat when she felt a tap on her arm. "What's the plan here, Sakura?"

As she stared into the obsidian eyes of her teammate as he awaited instruction, Sakura had a realization. She didn't have to take on the armada of rogue ninja on her own. She had her comrades. And more importantly, she had a lightning-style user standing right next to her.

"Sakura?" asked Sasuke, his brow raised in suspicion. "I know that look. Just what exactly are you cooking up in that brain of yours?"

A devious smirk graced her lips. "A plan…one that might just get us out of this mess."

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura raced toward the fountain, Hoshi under a blanket still clinging to Sakura's back. _I hope Naruto got the message to Shikamaru,_ thought Sakura as the ninja alighted themselves onto the stone elephant. Sakura stood on the head while Sasuke was crouched on the elephant's raised foot.

The kunoichi rested Hoshi on the head and closed her eyes, pressing her hands together in concentration. Her mind forced the pang of pain from her injured arm to dull as she centered her energies on the task at hand, the words her old teacher, Kagura, echoing in her mind. _Sense the water below you and all around you, it courses everywhere…forget about everything that's going on around you and concentrate. Sense the water…connect with it…make it part of you. It is an extension of yourself…concentrate. Resonate your chakra with liquid…and attack!_

Sakura's eyes snapped open, her resolute gaze scanning the dark courtyard around her that suddenly became bright. Shikamaru had turned on the floodlights he had Haruka setup. That meant he got her message and was performing his Shadow Possession Justu that instant.

Knowing the chuunin was going to pull their comrades off the courtyard and onto the rooftops momentarily, Sakura began performing her hand seals. As she did so, she could sense Sasuke gathering huge amounts of chakra below her as well. This was their only chance, the only hope they had to take out the rogues. If Naruto could produce enough clones to force the other rogues off of the rooftops and onto the grounds, the attack might successfully take out every single ninja that stood against them.

With her last hand seal complete, every drop of water in the fountain coalesced onto one area of the water feature - the side that faced the army of enemy ninja. As the water began to rise into a wave, an incessant chirping sound screeched through the air. The rogues snapped their head behind them, in the direction of the sound but by then it was already too late.

"Voltaic Water Vortex Justu!" exclaimed Sakura and Sasuke in unison. A whirlpool of water ascended from the fountain, continuously streaming through Sasuke raised electrifying arm before slamming into the ground. The torrential wave entirely encompassed the surrounding area, burying everything in its wake, including the ninja that were standing in the square. Their cries were muffled under the weight of the water as they were electrocuted into unconsciousness. When the wave dissipated, the ground was littered with fallen rogue ninja. Their technique was a success!

Sakura and Sauske collapsed to their knees, gasping with effort as the chirping of the Chidori faded into nothingness. "I-I can't believe you did it," said Hoshi with relief. "I-It's really over…"

Sakura smiled at her. "Yup (pant) looks so."

Hoshi rested her palm onto Sakura's gently. "I-I'm so sorry for putting you all through this…a-and for being such a brat." The young girl's voice broke a little as she began to sob. "I-I didn't mean to be so much trouble! It's just…it's hard enough celebrating your birthday without your mom and I (sob) I didn't want to be reminded of it at all!"

Sakura slid her other hand other Hoshi's. "Is that why you didn't want any grown-up's here? Because they would remind you of your mother?"

Hoshi nodded with a sob, wiping a tear from her eye. "I-I know it was totally stupid…but I really didn't think anyone would get hurt. Those ninja could have killed my sisters."

The kunoichi squeezed the princess's hand. "The important thing is that everyone is all right. No one got hurt."

Hoshi's eyes were now swimming in tears as she collapsed her face into Sakura's chest. The pink-haired girl was surprised by the gesture, but curled her arms around her supportively anyway. "I-I don't know what I would have done if something happened to them! A-And I'm going to change…" Hoshi lifted her face into view, looking determinedly into Sakura's eyes. "…I-I promise I will…Becau-"

"Sakura-chan, watch out!"

Naruto's distant warning triggered her reflexes as Sakura turned backwards to face the looming attack. The white mist-like dragon approaching them was too close to avoid. The kunoichi instinctively shielded Hoshi in her arms, turning her back to the blast. However, when it was about to connect, Sakura felt herself getting tackled from her side hard. She, Hoshi and their savior launched off of the fountain, the statue exploding as they fell onto the ground below.

Sakura grabbed her stinging fractured arm, turning to face the person who saved her. "Are you all right?" asked Sasuke, bits of stone in his hair.

"I-I'm Ok…my arm just hurts. Thanks, Sasuke." The boy nodded and Sakura shifted to Hoshi. "She's unconscious. But she seems fine…probably just feinted."

"Fufufufufuf…I must say, I am quite impressed!" bellowed a dark figure as he approached the lit grounds. "I would have never expected such a young band of ninja to possess enough skill and power to beat my men. Hahahaha. Nothing less from the Hidden Leaf, I suppose."

"Who are you?" demanded Sasuke, raising himself off the floor with effort as he stood in a shaky defensive position.

"Who am I?" echoed the large man. When his face hit the light, the two ninja were finally able to make out their opponent's features. He had pale blue, deep-set eyes with a prominent nose and shoulder-length dark hair. He was wearing dark robes with a red symbol in the center of his chest. "My name is Asama Doto, and I believe you have something that belongs to me."

He motioned his broad finger toward Hoshi and Sakura placed her arm protectively over the sleeping girl. "What do you want with Hoshi-hime? Why are you so intent on killing her?"

The man gave a menacing chuckle. "We don't necessarily want her dead. It just so happens her use to me does not necessitate her being alive. That is all."

Sakura narrowed her eyes in disgust. "Her _use _to you…?"

"Yes," answered Doto. "You see, there is a powerful artifact hidden in a temple somewhere and the door won't open unless it is smeared with the sacred blood of a priestess. Fortunately for us, skill is of no significance to the god. Only the purity of the blood is important."

"You're sick!" exclaimed Naruto, he and the other Leaf ninja finally reaching Sakura and Sasuke's side. "And you figured you could just waltz in here and take her? Not gonna happen pal!"

"Fufufufuf…and you think you can stop me little boy? You children barely have the strength to stand let alone fight hahaha."

As her eyes were finally close enough to examine her friends, Sakura had to admit their enemy had a point. Her friends did look worse for wear. Hinata's features were extremely pale as she was being supported by a heavily bruised Ten Ten. Chouji's bandages were scraped in several places, revealing some of the burnt flesh beneath them. The entire sleeve on Shino's left arm was caked in blood, no doubt from a deep gash in his arm. Kiba's clothes were singed in several places while Akamaru was avoiding the use of one of his forelimbs. On top of their injuries, Sakura knew they had expended a large proportion of their chakra. She herself had next to no chakra left, and Sasuke's wavering stance told her he was in the same predicament. Shikamaru's chakra signature seemed incredibly drained as well and although Naruto refused to show any sign of weakness in his face or posture, his heavy panting betrayed the level of exhaustion he must have been plagued with.

"How about we make a deal?" proposed Doto. "Hand over the princess and I'll let you all live to see another day. How does that sound, hm?"

"We are shinobi of the Hidden Leaf," replied Shikamaru, his tone laced with uncharacteristic determination. "We see our missions through till the end. And we don't negotiate with our enemies."

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Shikamaru," said Sakura, forcing herself onto her unsteady legs.

Naruto punched his fist into his palms. "If you want Hoshi-hime, you gotta go through us first!"

Doto's face contracted in a smirk. "As you wish…"

The Leaf ninja charged forward in an assault, but before they managed to near him Doto made a few hand signs and placed his palms before them. "Wind Style: Screaming Tempest."

A powerful blast of wind gushed from his hands, hammering into the young ninja and propelling them all meters away from their enemy. The chakra-enhanced gust shredded its way through the ninja as they tumbled along the concrete.

"Urgh…what the hack was that?" groaned Ten Ten as she struggled back to her feet.

"The enemy's jutsu," said Shikamaru, wiping a bleeding cut on his brow. "He uses wind style techniques, and from the looks of things his moves fall under the same category as that sand ninja during the chuunin exams - long-ranged jutsu that slices its enemies."

Kiba clenched his bleeding fist. "If that's the case then only long-range jutsu can work on him."

"But in our situation," started Shino, "long-ranged jutsu isn't an option. We have Sasuke and Sakura who can use such jutsu, but their chakra is far too exhausted to perform any techniques powerful enough to fair against the enemy's wind. And neither Ten Ten's weapons nor my insects would be able to penetrate his justu either."

"You're sayin' we don't have a chance of beating him?" exclaimed Naruto in outrage.

"He's just putting things into perspective Naruto," explained Sakura. "Relying on an up-front long-range jutsu won't work. We need another plan."

"Yeah well I got a plan, just get me close enough to him and I'll hammer him with my Rasengan! Shikamaru, can't you use your shadow possession jutsu or something to keep him still so I can get close enough to 'em?"

"But Shikamaru's shadow can't reach that far," added Chouji. "We'd need to get him closer to perform the jutsu."

"He'll never let any one of us get that close," said the Nara, rubbing his index finger against his chin pensively. "But if I can't get myself nearer, there is another option."

"Another option?" echoed Ten Ten.

Shikamaru turned to Shino. "You sent a load of insects to Hideyoshi-hanshu's second home to inform Haruka-san and his guards of the attack, right?" The insect-user nodded. "Got enough left to cast a decent shadow?"

* * *

Kiba, Hinata, Chouji and Ten Ten charged toward Doto. The man countered with a cyclone of wind which Kiba blockaded with his Tunneling Fang while Ten Ten cast her kunai and the other shinobi attempted to get within range to attack. The jutsu soon proved to be too much for the chocolate-haired genin as the overpowering attack drove him backwards and buffeted the other genin away from their foe.

Doto was performing a few more hand seals to finish them off, when he suddenly stood stock still. "W-What?" Tilting his head downwards as best he could, the man's swiveling eyes registered that his body was encircled by two-dimensional black hands. He looked forward at his young opponents. "What is this?"

Shikamaru's face looked strained as he held onto the final seal of his jutsu. "Ninja Art: Shadow Strangle Justu." Behind the Nara came the light of the flood lights, with the shadow of a small mist of insects around the bulb projecting a line leading from him to his foe. "Do it now Naruto!" Near him, Naruto already had a clone molding a whirlpool of chakra in his palm with great speed and ferocity.

Realizing the inevitable attack, Doto began struggling tempestuously against his shadowy restrains. Shikamaru gritted his teeth with effort, holding onto his jutsu as long as he could manage. But with his limited chakra, he was beginning to lose his grip and the shadowy hands were receding slowly from Doto's body. Sakura acted quickly, resonating her own chakra with the water coating the pavement and roping them around his arms to hold them still.

The man did not falter in his efforts, even as Naruto launched himself towards him. Wrestling against his bindings, he reached for a kunai in his pocket and, with a touch of his hand and a thrust of wind-natured chakra, the projectile torpedoed into their source of illumination and shattered the light bulb.

Shikamaru's justu faded as fast as the lights did and the enemy heaved at his remaining water shackles, breaking them just as Naruto was almost within reach. Faster than the broken water could splatter at his side, Doto produced another wind jutsu which tossed the boy backwards, earning him more scrapes as he tumbled towards his friends.

"N-Naruto!" exclaimed Hinata, diving into his path so as to partially cushion the blow. "N-Naruto?" she repeated as their skating bodies came to a halt. The blonde genin's head rested in Hinata's lap, his eyes closed, his body relaxed and unmoving. "N-No…Naruto…" whispered Hinata quietly as the others came to their aid. Her shaking yet bold finger was nearing his face, daring to caress the side of his cheek when the boy's cerulean eyes suddenly snapped open.

His body jolted upward, stumbling a little as he bounced to his feet. "What? Who is it? Who needs my help?"

"You idiot," sighed Kiba in exasperation. "We're in the middle of a big battle and you still can't stop acting like a total moron."

"I was not acting like a moron Kiba!" exclaimed Naruto, raising a threatening fist. "I heard someone calling my name…I have to save her! I have to save…oh no, Hinata. Are you all right."

A red-faced Hinata was slumped on the floor next to the arguing genin, apparently unconscious. Naruto leaned over her with concern, but Kiba smacked himself in the forehead, mumbling something along the lines of "Why does she keep feinting whenever he's around?"

"Enough you two!" yelled Shikamaru in annoyance. "Hinata will be fine, focus on the task at hand!"

The two genin straightened up, donning their fighting faces, as they rejoined their group. "So what's the plan Shikamaru?" asked Naruto buoyantly, undaunted by his failed attempt. "I'm ready to try that again."

"In case you didn't realize, our light source is gone," answered the boy.

"If you're up for trying that out again, I've got loads of flash paper," said Ten Ten. "It could sustain some light for at least 10 seconds."

Shikamaru sighed. "Neither I nor Sakura have enough chakra to bind him that long, not at full power anyway. He'll just break free again and we'd be wasting valuable chakra."

"But what else can we do?" inquired Ten Ten. "We can't just sit here and do nothing while he-" A turbulent tempest wind rushed at them without warning. Sakura shielded Hoshi as best she could with her body while they were buffeted by the blast.

"Grrrr," growled Kiba as he held a small gash in Akamaru's side. "At this rate, he'll cut us into mince meat before we even make another move. I say we attack him head on and hope for the best. Anything's better than this!"

"That wouldn't be wise," added Shikamaru.

"Maybe you could distract him long enough to let my weapons hit him," suggested Ten Ten.

"That attack is too obvious. He won't fall for it."

"You seem to be great at shooting down everyone's ideas!" exclaimed Kiba. "How about you try coming up with a few of your own!"

"Don't you think I've been doing that!" asserted Shikamaru. "I've been running every scenario I can think of in my head, and the only strategy that could work involves preventing him from attacking while one of us gets near enough to finish him off."

"That's enough Kiba," stated Shikamaru, staggering a little as she left Hoshi's side and parted the two boys. "We need to be fighting the enemy, not each other. Kiba, you were being much too forward, alright. You can't just-" The kunoichi's eyes froze open as she suddenly became silent. "Shikamaru…" she said slowly, caught in the trance of her thoughts, "you can extend your justu with any shadow right? Even the tiniest kind?"

Shikamaru raised his brow. "Yes…but I don't have enough chakra to produce a justu at full strength for more than about 2 seconds."

"You didn't say we had to restrain him…" she continued in the same dumbstruck voice. "You said…you said all we need to do is keep him from attacking…just long enough to get near him…_he's_ the one who needs to be forward…"

"What exactly are you getting at here?"

A smirk graced Naruto's lips. "Oh I know that look…Sakura-chan's got a plan!"

The corner's of the girl's mouth tightened slowly into a smile.

* * *

"I'm taking you down once and for all!" shouted Kiba as he ran toward Doto, the remaining ninja at his heals.

"Not this again," mused Doto as he raised his arms for another attack.

"Is the ninja wire ready Shino?" breathed Shikamaru.

"Just a few more seconds," answered Shino. "My insects are installing it above us as we speak."

Shikamaru nodded, dashing to the side as he dodged a few wind-enhanced shuriken. _I've never used suspended ninja wire to extend my shadow, but in theory it should work. I just hope Naruto and Chouji can coordinate well enough for this to work._

After they were all propelled backwards for a second time, Shino nodded to his male leader and Shikamaru yelled, "Ten Ten now!"

The kunoichi tossed two kunai with white sacks attached to them into the air. As they sailed to the center of the square, the bags spewed hundreds of bits of paper which exploded into brilliant sparks which lit the entire grounds. Temporarily blinded by the unexpected attack, Doto did not see Shikamaru performing his signature hand signs, nor the two Naruto's that stood upon Chouji's expanded hands.

One moment, Doto was rubbing his eyes in bewilderment and the next his body jerked to a halt and suddenly leapt forward and into the air. As he regained his vision, he saw Shikamaru was in the air just as he was, but there was another object in the air as well. A couple of orange blurs was torpedoing past Shikamaru and toward him at menacing speed.

"Now that Chouji's given us a lift with his expansion jutsu, I think we can finally do this right!" exclaimed the Naruto's in unison. With Shikamaru's Shadow Possession jutsu still in play at full force, Doto could not attack or even brace himself, even as the swirling ball of blue crashed into his chest. "Take this! Rasengan!"

"RAAAAAAAH!" screamed Doto in agony as the attack tore through his chest and slammed him into the earth below. As the tuft of dust that erupted from the crash cleared, Naruto stood victoriously over Doto's beaten form.

After heaving a few deep breaths, the blonde straightened himself and gave his team a thumbs-up, grinning widely. "Hahahaha. HEY, WE DID IT!" Naruto continued laughing joyously as he rejoined his smiling teammates.

"I can't believe it," said Ten Ten, her eyes roaming the area surrounding them. The night was finally still and silent. Scores of fallen shinobi littered the grounds, and dozens more were sprawled along the rooftops. "We really did it guys."

"Yeah," said Kiba, his voice as awestricken as Ten Ten's. "I guess we really did." It-It's actually over."

With that, the Konoha ninja jumped and cheered in triumph, with a few high-fives here and there. As the band of youths celebrated, they saw a group of figures approaching them. The approaching presence was not threatening, and when the meager glow of the moonlight fell upon their faces it confirmed what they thought.

Shino's insects had made it to the second mansion and now Haruka and the palace guards had journeyed to their rescue. Neji, Ino, Hoshi's sisters and the party guests accompanied them. Sakura surmised that they must have run into each other after they had beat Yamato and were making their escape.

A large man in dress robes strode purposefully before the guard. He was tall and rather plump with brown hair and blue-green eyes that looked similar to Hoshi's sisters. "Where is she?" he asked, his tone laced with concern. "Where is my little girl?"

The unconscious Hoshi resting between the leaf ninja began to stir at the sound of her father's booming voice. Lord Hideyoshi pushed through the youths and knelt over his daughter. "Hoshi…Hoshi are you all right?"

The girl's magenta eyes peered though her eyelids. "O-Outo-san?"

The man stroke a hand through his child's hair, sighing in relief. "I am so happy you are safe. When those two Leaf ninja told me you were the target, I-I was so worried about you."

"Y-You were?"

"Of course I was," he added gently. "But it's all better now. It's over."

"I wouldn't be too certain sir," stated Shikamaru.

The Lord lifted his daughter in his arms and stood to face the chuunin. "But what do you mean?"

"Somethin' about this just isn't sittin' right with me. It was all too…"

"Well-planned?" finished Sasuke.

Sakura turned from Shikamaru to the Uchiha, her look perplexed. "What do you guys mean?"

"Well, think about it," answered Shikamaru. "I'm sure people knew the princess was having a party, but I doubt the specific details of it were common knowledge as well."

"Yet," continued Sasuke, "they knew enough to have teenage ninja go undercover to infiltrate the party."

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise as she caught on to what the boys were getting at. Naruto scratched his head in frustration. "Sakura-chaaaaan…exactly what are you all talking about? We beat the bad guys, didn't we?"

"We eliminated the obvious threat, yes," responded Sakura slowly, her eyebrows furrowing pensively. "But the fact that their attack was so well-planned and so well-timed…it can only mean one thing. Someone on the inside must have leaked information about the party."

"What?"

"That's right everyone," said Shikamaru. "Looks like we have a traitor in our midst."

"That's preposterous," said Haruka. "Everyone loves Hideyoshi-hanshu. None of us would ever betray him."

"It is possible that not all of the employees share the same degree of loyalty, Haruka-san," answered Shikamaru. "Hideyoshi-hanshu, can you think of any reason someone would find the chaos of an attack on your palace advantageous?"

"I cannot say for certain," responded the large man, resting Hoshi on her feet.

"There must be something," added Sakura. "Perhaps to make something precious to you more vulnerable."

"My daughters are my most precious prizes." The lord brushed the top of Hoshi's head affectionately. A realization suddenly struck the man, freezing him in his place as his eyes snapped open. "But…there is one thing that…OH NO!"

The lord's face instantly became livid as he zoomed through his guards and toward the mansion hastily. Everyone followed after him in pursuit, Haruka jogging to reach the lord's pace. "Sir, you don't think they might really be after…_that_ do you?"

Hideyoshi pursed his lips together. "It's a possibility. But if they get their hands on it, everything I have ever worked for would have been for naught."

Foreboding curiosity climbed in the Konoha ninja with every step they took up the long winding staircase they were running through. When they reached the fifth landing, the panting people sprinted down a hallway, lead by Hideyoshi and Haruka, until they reached a golden door.

"The seal is broken," stated Haruka. "The thief must already be inside. Hideyoshi-hanshu, step back. Please let the guards handle-"

"Out of my way Haruka!" exclaimed the lord as he pushed passed his loyal attendant, his demeanor enraged. In another instant, Hoshi's father swung the gold encrusted boards open and what the Leaf ninja saw would prove to haunt them for months to come…

The room was littered with shelves and shelves of…elephant figurines! There must have been hundreds of them, lining every shelf and crevice of the large space. Some were miniature and glass-like while others were massive ceramic statues. Some were painted, some were plain and others still were bejeweled.

As the ninjas' eyes awed at the room, they became very perplexed. This collection of "artwork"…however impressive and eccentric it was…could not really have been the prized treasure that instigated all the trials they had had to face that entire night?

"H-Hideyoshi-hanshu," began Sakura, finally finding her voice, "i-is this?…well what I mean to say is…do you believe your elephant collection is what is being targeted."

"What?" said the lord breathlessly, "no no, of course not." The ninja all exhaled breaths they did not realize they had been holding. Hideyoshi's eyes continued to scan the room. "There is a specific item kept in here that is more valuable than the entire lot of them. And it's…it's gone! No, no, it can't be gone!"

The man ran into the room in panic, placing his hand over the empty pedestal that stood resolutely in the center.

"Hideyoshi-hanshu?" said Shikamaru, eying the pale-faced lord with concern. "What exactly was the thing that was taken?"

"I-It was…it was…"

"Looking for this?" came a high-pitched voice near the window.

Everyone's focus shifted instantaneously in the direction of the mysterious figure. He seemed familiar to them somehow. Crooked stature?…thin build?…long face?…curving moustache! "It's you!" yelled Naruto, pointing an accusatory figure at the thief. "You're that chef guy from yesterday. I told you guys his moustache looked evil!"

"Chef Moumou…" uttered Haruka in disbelief, "_you're_ the traitor?"

"Hmhmhmhmhm, yes that's right. It was me! I'm the one who told those rogues about the party. I needed an opening so I could get in here."

"But…but why? Why would you steal from our lord?"

"For thirty-two years I've slaved away in that kitchen, serving that gluttonous lord and his bratty children! I'm sick and tired of being the one who works for the rich and lets them feed off my work while I stay poor!"

"But Chef Moumou, why just the other day you bought yourself a gold-plated bowler hat with matching-"

"It matters not what you think of me!" he interrupted. "I know my truth!" His eyes were wide as saucers as his head twitched from Haruka to Hideyoshi. Was this man _on_ something?

The deranged cook began to chuckle maniacally. "But it doesn't matter now. None of it does. Because now, I have the most prized possession of Hideyoshi-hanshu's entire estate!" The man reached his boney fingers into his coat and procured his pilfered good - a golden elephant, sparkling with the emeralds and sapphires that littered its body. It was beautiful; it was magnificent; it was…the size of a peanut!

The Konoha ninja collapsed to the floor, resurfacing shortly afterwards with dead-panned looks plastered on their faces. "Th-That…" began Naruto, his face sour, his tone desperate and quiet, "…th-that…is what we've been fighting for?"

"You despicable fiend!" spat Hideyoshi with vigor. "You will never get away with this!"

Moumou snickered triumphantly. "Watch me!" The bandit leapt through the window and sprinted across the rooftop below.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" The ninja shifted their defeated expressions to the lord. "GET HIM!"

Snapped awake by the bellowing, the ninja hopped single-file out the window in pursuit of the thief.

"I can't believe we're doing this…" grumbled Kiba.

"Will somebody catch that creep already!" shouted Ino in frustration. She wanted to forget about this night as quickly as possible.

"That is it," said Sasuke exasperation. Leaping off the rooftop and onto the dirt, he picked up a rock and threw it with deadly accuracy at the fleeing man's head, knocking him squarely in his temple and causing him to lose his balance. As he fell onto the shingled roof, the golden figurine catapulted out of his hands and off the building top.

Ten Ten gasped. "If that thing falls, it'll break for sure!"

"Somebody catch it!" exclaimed Shikamaru.

"I got it!" yelled Naruto, diving off the building toward the falling object. It all seemed to happen in slow motion as the blonde's hands inched closer and closer to the descending item. Naruto's body hit the ground just below the falling figurine and to everyone's relief, the treasure was caught!

"Oooooh yeah!" exclaimed Naruto, entering the early stages of his victory dance. "We did it! We won! We-" The blone stopped abruptly, eying the item in his hand wearily. He screwed his lips together in contemplation before letting out a heavy sigh. "Nope. Sorry guys, but not even I can get worked up about saving a pint-sized elephant…"

* * *

**For those of you who picked up on Lord Hideyoshi's fetish for elephants before now (with the elephant fountains and paintings and what-not), this chapter represents the significance of that. Hope you all liked the incredibly anticlimactic conclusion of this mission-arc...I'm pretty sure our favorite leaf ninja didn't appreciate that much though hehehehe.**

**Once again...thank you everyone for reading and reviewing! I was happy to hear that you guys still like my battle scenes. I'm very self-conscious about them, and I hope you enjoyed the ones in this chapter as much as the others.**

**Now a couple people mentioned how difficult it was remembering all the events in this story (especially without getting timely updates in a while) so I've decided to TRY and write out a story summary as soon as I can. Once done, I will place a note in my A/N's to check my profile for the summary. I hope to have that up by the next time I update this story (But I'm not promising anything...).**

**I'll try to update as soon as I can, though I can't say it will be coming out as soon as this one did - I don't have the minor details thought out like I already had for these last two chapters...**

**Once again, Happy New Year everyone!**


	33. The Second Act

**Special shout out to all my readers and especially my reviewers...this little story of mine just reached the 500 reviews mark! You have no idea how happy and excited this makes me. Thanks so much everyone! You keep my fire for this story burning.**

**To anonymous reviewer "KATRINA," I have a message for you at the end of the chapter. I've also got an important message for everyone at the end of this as well.**

**Chapter 33 Posted 4/26/11**

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

**The Second Act**

It was the afternoon after the attack. Having received treatment for their injuries by the lord's personal medical staff, the Konoha ninja were congregated in the square where their anticlimactic struggle with the rogues had taken place the night before. Lord Hideyoshi, his daughters and Haruka were standing before them, bidding their final farewells.

"I can't believe you're leaving already," said Hoshi, her eyes more on Sakura than on anyone else. "I hate to admit it, but I was actually just beginning to get used to you guys. A-And, well..."

Hoshi hesitated a bit, struggling with her words. As the silent seconds ticked by, the princess abandoned her attempts and walked up to Chouji. She presented him with a pink and yellow-petaled flower and bowed graciously. "I'm sorry for the way I treated all of you…you especially, Chouji-kun."

Chouji accepted the gift, looking at her with pleasant shock. "Th-This is for me?" The other ninja were also eying the girl in awe. This could not have been the same client they had the bitter pleasure of meeting three days earlier.

Hoshi nodded hesitantly. "It's a special hybrid our gardeners designed. It attracts butterflies. A-And...well your name means 'butterfly' s-so, um, I thought you'd maybe like it?"

"I...I do," answered the boy, his voice bearing both awe and gratitude . "Thanks for this Hoshi-hime."

The girl smiled sweetly.

Kiba leaned in to Naruto's ear, whispering, "Just what the heck's gotten into this girl - not that I'm complaining but still..."

The blonde just grinned. "I'd betcha Sakura-chan had something to do with that one."

"Thank you," said Hoshi, bowing to the entire group this time. "Thank you for protecting me and my sisters. I wish you the safest travels." She turned to Sakura. "Things are going to be different from now on. I promise." The girl extended a hand of friendship and reconciliation.

Sakura smiled back, eying her outstretched hand and took it into her own appreciatively. "I'll hold you to that."

The twins walked up to Tenten, the genin instinctively flinching as they made their unintentionally threatening approach. "I'm so sorry we didn't get to give you another make-over before you left, Tenten-chan."

"U-uhm…yeah," responded Tenten weakly, rubbing the back of her head. "Well yuh know it's a reeeeeal shame. And I was so looking forward to one but, um, we gotta, uhm, get goin' yuh know, hahaha."

"Oh hey, if you're that disappointed I'm sure we could squeeze in one before you leave!" said one of the twins excitedly, her eyes sparkling.

Tenten's eyes snapped open in horror, sweating bullets. "Um um um um well no. No need to do all that. Um um...your work is art and it, uh, sh-shouldn't be rushed!"

"But we're pretty quick workers..."

"We should really get going," chimed in Shikamaru. "We've got another mission to take care of when we're done here so we really can't stay any longer."

Tenten glanced at the chuunin with a look of gratitude. Naruto scratched his head in confusion but said nothing.

Kako was next to walk up to them...well, walk up to Neji anyway.

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears of sadness as she looked up at the Hyuga, a large piece of paper shakily held in her midget-like hands. Neji gave a small frown, turning to his comrades for support. Kiba stifled a chuckle while Ino waved at him to show some acknowledgement of the girl.

He relented, crouching down to meet her level. Immediately his vision was obscured by a mess of brown pigtails as he was engulfed in a miniature bear-hug. "I'll never forget you Pretty-chan."

Neji's face reddened even before the little princess pressed her lips to his cheek. She slid him her drawing and rejoined her sisters. It was a picture of a silver-eyed boy holding the hand of a little girl with pigtails, both smiling brightly. One corner of Neji's mouth tightened with appreciation - he couldn't help it! As he looked up from the drawing, he could see Ino's and Kiba's watery eyes, one out of affection while the other was no doubt due to restrained laughter. But the Hyuga didn't care, straightening himself and tucking the papery memento safely in the back of his trousers.

"Thank you, Leaf ninja, for a job well done," said Hideyoshi. "You saved my daughter and my precious elephant."

"Oh hey wait a minute," piped Naruto, "I forgot to ask - you never told us what made that elephant thing that guy tried to steal so special."

"Well I thought it was obvious," answered the lord, raising his index finger astutely. "You see, its high value is not because it is made of pure gold. But rather, it is because it is the only piece of artwork in the world which was solely forged and handled...using elephants!" The other ninja collapsed to the floor. The lord nodded to himself proudly. "It's proof of an elephant miracle, a real rarity. Any elephant collector could only _dream_ of owning such a piece of artwork!"

Naruto sighed. "Sorry I asked..."

* * *

The ninja were making their way down the dusty path leading away from the palace grounds.

"Hey, Shikamaru," said Naruto. "Back there, you said we had another mission to do. That wasn't true was it?"

"Of course it was true," said Sakura, genuinely shocked that Naruto hadn't remembered the second part of their mission.

"You're such a loser," commented Sasuke. "I would think even you would have enough brain power and interest not to forget something as important as a mission. You really give Team 7 a bad name."

"It-It's true?" exclaimed Naruto, the shock and excitement of the news overwhelming his desire to pummel his rival to the ground.

Sakura sighed at her lovable but painfully thick-headed teammate, reiterating what she and Shikamaru had explained to the ninja at the Leaf village gate only three days ago.

"_After our first mission," said Shikamaru, "we'll be splitting up into two teams to carry out two more missions."_

"_Wow," commented Kiba, "our village must really be short on ninja if they're assigning us missions before we even get back to recuperate."_

"_They are relatively simple assignments," assured Sakura. "Both D-ranked."_

"_Like I mentioned, we'll be dividing ourselves up for the two missions. I'll lead one group consisting of Chouji, Neji, Tenten, Shino and Kiba. Our goal is to deliver a sacred jewel from one of the shrines near Hideyoshi-hanshu's mansion to another one near the Land of Tea."_

"_And I'll be leading the next," said Sakura. "It'll be Team 7 along with Hinata and Ino. We will be retrieving a scroll that was stolen by a band of thieves before they rendezvous with their buyers two days after Hoshi-hime's party."_

"_Everyone clear on the missions?"_

"_Of course we are!" exclaimed Naruto. "I can't wait till we get started! Two missions in a row...AAAALL RIGHT!"_

Naruto rubbed his chin as he gazed skyward in recollection. "Oh yeaaaaaah. Now I remember."

Sakura sighed. "Thank goodness."

"It's such a drag the way we had to split the missions though," said Shikamaru as they reached the gate and prepared to part ways with their comrades.

Sakura chuckled, although no one else got the lazy chuunin's point. "You're just sore that your mission involves more walking than ours."

"Well of course I am. Your mission already takes you part of the way home. The only reason I agreed to the other one is 'cause that area you're traveling in has lots of rivers and stuff for you to use your water jutsu, Sakura. This is such a drag."

The others snickered a bit as they divvied themselves up into their respective groups. "I suppose this is where we part ways," sighed Tenten, her deflating exhilaration from their Konoha 11/12 mission ending evident in her tone.

"Yeah, you all better make it back in one piece!" exclaimed Ino with her trademark fist-pump.

Kiba tsked. "_Your _group will require the most prayers, Ino. You all just better be extra careful."

"Hey," started an affronted Naruto, arms folded as he peered at the dog-loving genin through one eye. "What's up with this '_your_ group' business, Kiba? You sayin' your platoon's better than mine?"

"That ain't what I meant," retorted Kiba, his tone conveying that he was annoyed with the blonde's insinuation.

"Well, what did 'ya mean then?" asked Naruto, still unconvinced.

"Easy, Naruto," said Shino calmly. "Kiba merely meant that it is because your squad consists of all the members of Team 7."

The other ninja nodded to themselves in understanding, as if Shino's vague explanation suddenly made everything so spotlessly clear and devastatingly obvious...well to everyone except the three lone members of said team. Naruto along with Sasuke and Sakura wore blank faces of confusion.

"What's wrong with _our_ team?" they all chimed.

"N-Nothing's _wrong_ with you...per se" responded Ino sheepishly, her expression almost pained.

"You see," Chouji continued, "we just mean about your jinx."

Sakura and Naruto blinked back while Sasuke raised a questioning eyebrow. "What jinx?" they echoed.

"Jeez, you gotta be kidding me?" responded Kiba, partly astounded and partially amused. "You honestly mean you haven't noticed it already?" Kakashi's pupils shook their heads dumbly. "Every mission you guys have ever been on has ended up a disaster!"

"Yes," agreed Neji. "They have all been fraught with unanticipated and dangerous complications."

The confused trio looked to each other and back at the Konoha ninja before them.

Kiba slapped himself in the forehead, chuckling to himself. "You're kidding me! Well let's see, there was that huge monster battle with those sand ninja back during the final rounds of the chuunin exams…" Kiba counted off one finger on his hand.

"Oh and the incident during the exams too in the Forest of Death when Lee got injured," stated Tenten. Kiba marked off another finger.

"And who could forget our first training mission together," cringed Ino. Third finger up.

"D-Didn't something h-happen in the Land of Waves t-too," squeaked Hinata. The brown-haired genin raised his fourth finger.

"Plus I heard from Asuma-sensei that bad things went down for your group sometime between the Third's death and Tsunade's return to the village," added Shikamaru, contributing despite his disinterest in the conversation. Finger number five was now up. This was beginning to get ridiculous.

"And rounding on number six," began Kiba, "is, of course, this mission we just completed." The boy raised half a dozen counted fingers, wiggling them for emphasis. "Do you see what I mean now? We all know your team is jinxed."

Team 7 paused pensively as they mentally went over their exploits for themselves, eyes widening as they all came to the same pitiful realization.

"B-But…I mean come on guys," said Naruto, "we haven't had bad luck on _every _mission." He seemed to be saying this more for himself than the others, looking to his two teammates for support. "W-well…" he started frantically after no response was given, "th-there was that one time when we found that lost cat." His hopeful eyes shone with victory.

"B-But don't you remember what happened?" said Sakura slowly, not wanting to burst Naruto's bubble of triumph too quickly. "We discovered that the cat was being driven away by a mafia of ninja dogs that roamed the neighborhood and eventually came up against their owners who happened to be a group of bandits smuggling black-market goods into the Hidden Leaf village."

Naruto smirked as his mind was filled with the delicious victory that day brought them...after which he gulped nervously at the realization of yet another mission complication to add to the shameless list.

Kiba sniggered at Naruto's plight. "Get the point now?"

"W-We still love you guys, though," cheered Tenten.

"You keep our lives interesting at least," said an optimistic Chouji.

The blonde boy shook his head in defiance. "You know what, I don't care that bad things happen to our team all the time. They just give us better opportunities to grow stronger and stronger, and that works fine with me. You know why?" His confidence and volume grew with every word he spoke. "That's because I'm gonna become Hokage one day, the strongest there ever was! And our rough battles are just gonna help me get there faster! Believe it!"

Sasuke and Sakura shook their heads while the rest of the ninja rolled their eyes exasperatedly. A mission was not complete without an exclamatory speech courtesy of Naruto.

"We'd better start heading out," called Shikamaru, the two platoons parting ways finally.

"Safe travels everyone!" yelled Tenten.

"No worries on my side. Uzumaki Naruto is on the scene!"

"Pff," mumbled Kiba to his canine partner, "yeah that's what we're afraid of..."

* * *

"I think we should have a brief recap before we continue through," whispered Sakura to her 5-manned squad. It was the day after they left Hideyoshi's mansion. She and her team were currently crouched on grassy, moistened earth amidst the dense luscious shrubbery of the well-nourished forest they had been travelling in all morning. "Ino, please tell us again about what you learnt when you infiltrated the enemy's camp."

"Right," began Ino, her voice earnest. "Well after we found that one ninja who was filling water canteens at the river, I took over his body and was able to safely approach their campsite." The blonde brushed a dampened blonde lock from her face as she continued. "I counted six tents pitched, meaning there couldn't be any more than 12 ninja. If we're assuming that the leader is the one with the scroll then the man we're after is dressed in a black body suit with a red sash over his shoulder. The other ones had beige sashes."

"With that said," stated Sakura, "given our goal and information, it's clear that our best course of action will be to provide a distraction and pry the scroll away from this red-sashed leader in the midst of the chaos."

"We should have an advantage," continued Sasuke as he turned to his leader. "As far as we know, they don't know that we're here."

"Hey, hold on," said Naruto, screwing his lips together in thought. "If you possessed that guy, wouldn't he realize we're here after you un-possess him?"

Ino scowled at Naruto. "What, do you think I'm some kind of idiot?" she whispered harshly. "I purposely left a few canteens by the river to give my guise an excuse to walk back to the river and get them, _after_ _which_ I released the jutsu and hid. People under the mind transfer jutsu are never conscious of themselves until after the jutsu's dispelled. Sheesh Naruto, give me some credit here." The girl folded her arms dejectedly and scoffed as the other blonde rubbed the back of his head, smiling awkwardly.

"S-Sorry there Ino…"

"In any case," continued Sakura, "I'm thinking that our best means of extracting the scroll without notice would be through Ino's mind transfer jutsu. We'll be working in two teams. Naruto and Sasuke…" the kunoichi turned to the two boys. "…You two are responsible for creating the distraction. Pose as big a threat as you can for the ninja without getting too close. Just put them on the alert. We do _not_ want a direct confrontation…"

The entire group diverted their gazes from Sakura to Naruto. The boy sweat-dropped. "What're you all lookin' at me for, huh? I know better than to go rushing into a fight without thinking!"

Sasuke gave the blonde an unconvinced, dead-panned look while Sakura sighed and continued. "Once our enemies become pre-occupied with the attack, I'll set off a smoke-bomb in their camp. Hinata will then use her Byakugan to guide me and Ino to the leader. Then I restrain the leader and Ino uses her jutsu on him. We'll take the scroll, release the leader and leave before he even notices our presence. With any luck, he won't even realize the scroll is missing until we've gotten far away from the camp, eliminating the possibility of their pursuing us." The kunoichi scanned the genin's faces. "Everyone clear on the plan?"

They all nodded.

"Good," she nodded back. "Naruto and Sasuke, get into position. I'm putting you in charge, Sasuke. We'll move out as soon as you give us the signal."

The Uchiha nodded while Naruto eyed his new supervisor from the corner of his eye with disdain. "We'll do our best. Be safe." Sasuke's eyes lingered on Sakura's before he turned to Naruto. "Come on, dope."

The boys disappeared toward the camp, with Sakura staring after them with concern evident in the creases of her brow. This did not go unnoticed by Ino. She watched Sakura for a moment then smirked. "You really do care for them a lot, don't you?"

The kunoichi's statement earned Sakura's attention, as the pink-haired girl shifted her focus to the Yamanaka curiously. "Huh? Oh...well of course. I mean th-they're my teammates, right? How can I not? I'm sure it's the same for you..."

Ino expelled a nostalgic sigh as her finger stroked her chin contemplatively, her eyes skyward. "Mmmm…well I guess you're right. I mean I hate to admit it but as annoying as Shikamaru and Chouji are, I do care for 'em." The girl faced Sakura once again, however this time her smile had a mischievous edge to it. "I'm just curious exactly how _deep_ your feelings go, Sakura...hehehe…especially when it comes to Sasuke."

Sakura blinked back. "How deep…for…Sasuke?"

The blonde genin giggled lightly and nodded. "Don't be shy, Sakura. I saw you two slow-dancing at Hoshi-hime's party the other night, and you two looked _reeeeeal_ cozy hehehehe. What gives? You got a thing for him?"

"A...thing...?" echoed Sakura. She closed her eyes in reflection, silent seconds ticking by. Shortly after, they shot open in realization. "I don't," she replied anxiously.

"You don't?" questioned Ino, her tone heavy with suspicion. "Are you sure?"

Sakura nodded in earnest. "Yeah...but I need to though."

"You..._need_ to...?"

"Uh-huh...I need to have something for Sasuke...and Naruto too."

Hinata, who had been a passive participant in this conversation thus far, gulped hard. Her heart fluttered at the mention of the blonde. "N-N-Naruto...?"

"Hey hey hold up a second here. I mean it's pretty clear the goofball has feelings for you. But are you saying you want to be in love with _both_ of them?" Ino's tone shifted from disbelief to a legitimate concern for her friend's sanity.

Sakura had her eyebrows furrowed in pensive concentration before her lowered eyes rose to the two kunoichis' levels, her gaze roaming from one to the other in confusion. "Love? Who said anything about that? I was talking about getting them both thank-you presents in return for the gifts they gave me for making chuunin." Her response echoing her thoughts of the genjutsu book and dream catcher that the two genin had imparted to her before the big mission days ago.

Ino and a red-faced Hinata collapsed to the floor in exasperation. The blonde rose up almost instantaneously. "Y-you mean you're _not_ in love with Sasuke then?"

"I-In love..." Sakura's heart thudded nervously within her chest. "U-Umm...well to tell you the truth Ino...I can't even really say I even know what that feels like."

"You mean you've never been in love before?"

"N-No..."

"Had crushes on boys?"

Sakura shook her head.

"Crushes on _girls?_"

"No!"

Ino frowned in frustration. "That's pretty weird. Well maybe you're just not that aware of your feelings is all."

"So then...how _does_ it feel to love somebody? I mean, romantically. What are the conditions?"

Ino chuckled. "Love isn't a formula, Sakura. It can't be calculated. Love is just love. It's when you can't stand being away from someone. And you really want to always be in their life, if only to make their world easier and happier to live in...to the point where you'd sacrifice almost anything to do it."

"B-But it's not just a-about what you want for them," added Hinata hesitantly, her cheeks still flushed. "S-Sometimes love involves what the other p-person does for you t-too…how they change you and make you strong, s-stronger than you ever thought you ever c-could be."

Sakura's eyes remained fixed on Hinata as she absorbed the information. She was about to question the kunoichi further, but an impish giggle interrupted her. "Referring to your situation this _Naaaaaruuuuutoooo_? Hehehehe…"

Hinata's entire countenance went scarlet as she glanced to her side shamefully, earning her a few more hearty chuckles from Ino. Overlooking the scene before her, Sakura sought to process this new knowledge. _Love...love? Have I ever been in love? Well I've put the happiness of my friends before my own before – with Sasuke, sure, but with Naruto and Usa-chan as well. And...come to think of it, all these people have also inspired me to become a better person. That can't mean I'm in love with all of them, can it? I must be missing something I guess. I think I need to do some more research. _Sakura sighed in relief. _It's not like any of that is important or anything...and I'm definitely __**not**__ in love with Sasuke...and not Naruto either..._

Returning her attention to her two friends before her, Sakura furrowed her eyebrows as something else that Ino said sparked to her attention. "Hey, wait a minute. What do you mean 'your situation with Naruto'? Are you saying you're in love with Naruto, Hina-"

A paper-bomb abruptly detonated in the near distance, alerting the girls that Sasuke and Naruto had begun their tussle with the enemy ninja. Within seconds, Sakura's group was almost halfway to the camp, flitting through the trees as they made their silent approach. "Hinata," said Sakura, "what's the current situation?"

The Hyuga concentrated her energies into her silver eyes, revealing her kekkai genkai moments later. "N-Naruto has clones surrounding the camp, and those ninja appear to be having some difficulty driving him off."

"Nice to see Naruto putting his ability to annoy to good use," sighed Ino.

"And Sasuke?" inquired Sakura.

"He's keeping his distance," answered Hinata, "mainly fighting with shuriken and fire-style jutsu. And...hold on!" The girl halted her movements unexpectedly, with her two teammates alighting themselves onto a few branches after her.

"What's wrong?" asked Sakura worriedly. "What's happening?"

Hinata's features grew stern with concentration. "It looks like the enemy has just pinched themselves off."

"What do you mean, Hinata?"

"Th-they separated themselves into two groups now. The leader and four others are remaining within the campsite, but another six seem to be advancing forward toward N-Naruto and Sasuke in a frontal assault."

"Their attacking them?" said Sakura, a pang of concern in her voice. _I-I wasn't expecting them to leave the scroll-bearer unprotected to pursue an enemy. Why didn't I account for that?_ She mentally scolded herself.

"What do we do, Sakura?" asked Ino. "Sasuke and Naruto might need back up."

"B-But on the other hand," continued Hinata, "the scroll is even less protected now. A-And if we attack again at another time, we'll l-lose the element of surprise."

The pink-haired kunoichi looked from Ino to Hinata as she weighed her options. Her friends were in potential danger, but at the same time they had a mission to accomplish. And if she erred on the side of caution, their next attempt could result in an even more dangerous situation.

Neither choice was desirable, so Sakura decided to split the difference. "Hinata, where are Naruto and Sasuke now?"

The Hyuga focused her energies once again. "They've abandoned their attacks and are currently leading the enemy away from the camp. And they're headed close by here."

Sakura nodded. "Ino, I want you to wait here until the boys travel through this area. Hide then follow after the enemy. When Sasuke decides the terrain is suitable for an attack and he and Naruto start fighting back, provide them support with an ambush from behind. Hinata and I will go on ahead and retrieve the scroll ourselves. We'll find you with the Byakugan as soon as we can."

"Sounds like a plan," answered the blonde.

"Be careful Ino," said Sakura firmly.

"Will do, captain. Don't worry."

They all nodded and went their separate ways.

* * *

"I hope everything works out all right," whispered Hinata. She and Sakura were stealthily creeping through the damp earth near the camp.

"It has to," said Sakura, her voice not betraying the anxiety she was carrying. She took a bracing breath and lifted a smoke-bomb from her ninja pouch. "You ready?"

Hinata gulped but indicated she was. The chuunin tossed the tiny explosive into the center of the camp and the enemy territory instantaneously became blanketed with smoke on impact.

Holding onto Sakura's hand tightly, Hinata lead her leader through the haze and disoriented ninja with ease. Preferring not to take their chances with another enemy pursuit, the two kunoichi struck their unsuspecting foes at their pressure points, knocking them unconscious. The leader was taken down with just as little effort, and by the time the smoke cleared Sakura and Hinata had successfully procured the scroll and were heading toward their friends.

"Well that seemed simple enough," said Sakura with relief.

Hinata nodded. "I-I knew this was only a D-ranked mission, but I th-thought this would have been a bit more challenging...n-not that I'm complaining. Naruto and Sasuke might not even be needing our help right now."

"Still..." pondered Sakura, "for an enemy with such weak skills, it seems even more odd why they would elect to split up rather than remain together to defend their camp." Silent moments of contemplation went by before Sakura spoke again. "How are the others doing?"

"I'll check," said Hinata, forming a hand seal to assist in gathering chakra. "Byaku-"

The scene before the girls suddenly erupted in a yellow fog, completely obscuring their vision. The air was invaded by a pungent scent as intrusive and harsh as ammonia. Sakura's legs buckled as she arrested her movements on a tree branch and attempted to find her comrade. Shielding her respiratory orifices as best she could with her hand, she coughed, "H-Hinata? Hinata where are y-" Struck with a sudden rush of vertigo, the kunoichi collapsed to her knees as she fought to remain conscious.

_W-What's going on here? Are we being ambushed? _Sakura coughed roughly, her senses becoming increasingly muddled. "Hina-" Her heavy eyelids succumbed to the effects of the knock-out gas and the kunoichi completely lost consciousness, her body crashing toward the ground in the process.

* * *

Stomp.

_Hm…?_

Stomp, stomp, stomp.

_What is that...?_

Stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp.

_Footsteps?_

The continuous vibrations of heels to wood which her ears registered and cheek felt naggingly tugged Sakura into wakefulness. As she twitched her body to alertness, she came to the realization that her hands were currently bound behind her back. Her eyes reflexively snapped open, her head empty of all drowsiness as she scanned her environment. Her recollection of the events before her capture flashed across her mind just as swiftly.

"Where am I?" she demanded, hiding the panic in her voice as she struggled against her bindings. She inelegantly raised her body from its slumped position on the hardwood floor to her knees, expanding her view of her location. She was finally able to confirm that she was currently in a dimly lit wooden room. The only source of light came from a solitary light bulb hanging lackadaisically above her. There was a blacked-out window on her left, below which she found an unconscious Hinata sitting meekly against the wall, her head drooping forward.

"Hinata?" she called, hope and foreboding ascending within her. "Hinata? Are you all ri-"

"It's pointless calling for her like that," came a voice from a dark corner of the room. Sakura could not place its identity, but something about its quality sounded familiar. "We pumped her full of drugs. She won't wake anytime soon."

The sound of her captor from the darkness prompted Sakura to sense for any other presences of the enemy. There were five others she could place to her right, on the direct opposite side of the room where Hinata lay. Glancing to her side quickly, she could only make out that they were ninja of moderately varying heights wearing masks. Focusing her chakra, Sakura could vaguely sense another figure in the room. Before she could center her chakras further, the voice spoke again.

"No need to be so tense," cooed the dark foe smoothly. Sakura's eyes frustratingly darted back to her irritating opponent as he left his corner and entered into the light. Sakura's eyes widened in shock when she saw the young man's face. "Your worry is making my heart ache...Beautiful."

"I-Idate?" she whispered in bewilderment. "W-What...h-how...? Why are you here? What's...what's going on?"

The boy sauntered toward the girl and crouched so that he was at eye level with her. "Looks like my prayers that our paths would cross again were answered." He gently took one side of Sakura's face into his palm. "You're as lovely as ever, too."

The kunoichi stared into his calm, charcoal eyes in awe before she tore her face away from his. "What the heck is this? Why am I here? I-I don't understand any of this! " Tears of frustration and confusion began welling up in her eyes, but she willed herself to shed none. Idate looked on passively, straightening himself and retreating from before her.

"You shouldn't fret so much, Sakura-chan. All will be made clear shortly."

Sakura's body petrified in its place. She swallowed hard at the sound of this person's voice. It was one she had heard frequently enough to be able to instantly recognize. It took a few moments before her muddled mind was able to direct the person's name into whispered speech. "K-Ka-Kagura-san...?"

The heels Sakura had been hearing earlier clunked into her visible visual field, revealing an elegantly tall, slender woman with long white hair tied up with a red band that matched the color of her red outfit. She wore a short, white top with a red sleeveless jacket of equal length, both exposing her midriff. Her shorts were also cherry-colored, and she had red battle-gloves and red, heeled shoes.

The woman smirked. "Is that anyway to greet your former sensei, Sakura-chan?"

* * *

**A new mission, discussions on love, and an appearance by Kagura? The plot thickens! The next installment will be a doozy, but please don't forget to tell me what you thought of this one! ^_^**

**IMPORTANT NOTICE: I will be increasing my rating of this story from T to M, due to the fact that the next chapter will have some very graphic violence. (Just makes ya more curious as to what I have in store for you guys doesn't it? Hehehe) I will up the rating just before I post the chapter. If you have any qualms about reading it, please don't hesitate to PM me or shoot me an email (my email address can be found on my profile).**

**Speaking of emails...one anonymous reviewer named "KATRINA" attemted to give me her email address through review but it didn't show up (you have to exclude the .'s or else it won't appear on fanfic sites). Like I mentioned, my email is on my profile if you'd like to contact me :).**

**As for my story summary...haven't gotten around to doing it yet but I'll try as soon as I can!**

**Now go click that blue button in the center of the page down there and review! ^_^**

**~00Sakura00**


	34. Capture

**SPECIAL NOTICE: I've finally wrote up that story summary you guys requested. It's on my profile page as I type. Also, I increased the rating to M. PM me if you have any questions.**

**Shoutouts to all my reviewers! Thanks so much for all your comments and encouragement! (I even got a death threat or two to update in a more timely fashion next time, from...you know who you are. Not sure whether I should feel flattered or afraid but thanks! Haha)**

**Wanted to give a special thanks to Animeromance Luver for reviewing every single chapter! I wanted to PM you but it was disabled, and I try to avoid posting responses to ppl in my A/N's, but I just couldn't help myself this time. Thank you!**

**Without further delay...**

**Chapter 34 Posted 6/18/11**

* * *

_**Capture**_

Seconds laboriously plodded by as Sakura's mind fruitlessly tried to catch up to where her body was now. She and an unconscious Hinata were both being held captive by a band of rogue ninja…and Kagura was one of them. This Kagura was the same person who had so generously taught her water style jutsu in preparation for the chuunin exam finals. Sakura knew her as a patient teacher, brimming with wisdom which she freely shared. But the figure standing before her now seemed malevolent somehow, ruthless…and borderline evil.

"Why the sudden silence?" inquired Kagura mockingly, eying the restrained girl below her with an air of amusement. "You were practically imploding with questions mere moments ago fufufufufu."

Sakura shifted her unfocused gaze from the floor to the woman looking down on her. "K-Kagura-san…w-what's the meaning of all this?" she asked pleadingly. "Are Naruto and the others here too? Why are you doing this? Why did you capture us? And who are you, really?"

Kagura grinned. "Now there's the Sakura-chan I know – always so inquisitive." The woman sighed as she paced around the room, Sakura's eyes following her like a magnet. "Where to begin, where to begin? Well I suppose I should start off by telling you a little story…a tale of two families, two legacies. Then maybe you can begin to understand."

Idate, who had disappeared from the room moments earlier, resurfaced from the darkness with a chair in hand. He placed it a couple of meters before Sakura, inviting Kagura to sit. The woman settled comfortably onto the cushioned seat, crossing her legs. "I'm sure you've heard of the impressive abilities of Hashirama and Tobirama of the Senju clan."

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, not expecting the conversation to involve two former Hokage of the Hidden Leaf. "What about them?"

"They were brothers possessing incredible ability to mold the nature of chakra. Hashirama was so skilled at chakra-nature manipulation that he was able to create his own element."

"The wood element," said Sakura, her sanity clinging to facts which she could actually identify.

Kagura nodded. "Very good, Sakura-chan. Very good. Of course, wood is merely a combination of water and earth chakra," she said offhandedly. "Tobirama had the same potential, but he focused on a more exaggerated manipulation of water chakra instead. Their talent was a _physical_ trait, a characteristic of their bodies…purely genetic." The ninja smirked. "And if you know anything about genetics, you can deduce that it is probable for a descendant to possess similar abilities as well."

Kagura was eyeing Sakura intently, and the chuunin reciprocated with apprehension and a glimmer of attempted defiance. The woman broke eye contact with the girl and pulled out a kunai from her side holster. "Unfortunately, there are other inheritable traits whose mechanics of inheritance are less easily understood. The core of this special class of abilities resides in the spirit, a less physical entity." The woman twirled the kunai distractingly in her hands as she spoke. "Those powers have a much higher incidence of hit or miss in familial lineage, and are much rarer to come by in the ninja world. One which I have taken a particular interest in as of late concerns the ability to resonate one's inner chakra with energies of the outside world. I believe the formal term for this skill is…" Kagura's gaze surfaced from the kunai in her hand to Sakura deliberately. "…_rinku_."

Sakura's eyes widened. A smirk decorated Kagura's lips as she registered the shock in Sakura's face. "Given all this," continued Kagura, feigning indifference, "I was struck with a thought. All this talk about physical ability or unique spiritual energy…but have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a ninja possessing both?" Her grip tightened on her held weapon. "Talent in both body and spirit…just think of the possibilities!"

There was a momentary pause as Kagura awaited Sakura's reaction. The pink-haired girl did not need much contemplation to gather that this ninja would surely be quite powerful. But she failed to see what this had to do with her or the current predicament. Her eyes reflected her puzzlement.

Kagura pressed further. "For instance, could you imagine what the 1st Hokage would have been like if he possessed _rinku_? Why…he would have been able to build Konoha with a wave of his hand, with surest speed and virtually zero chakra expenditure."

Accepting Kagura's analysis, although she could not understand the logic herself, Sakura continued to eye the white-haired woman questioningly. The older ninja chuckled. "Have you not yet figured it out, Sakura-chan? You are of the Haruno clan…you possess some form of _rinku_." Kagura stroked her chin in thought. "But then, I'm certain you must have noticed that already. Hmmm…and as for the other thing, perhaps this will help. Did you know that Senju Tobirama…had a granddaughter?"

Sakura gave a hard swallow, trying to find her voice. "H-He did…?" There was a small pause as the girl began to process this information, but then shook her head disbelievingly. "No…that's not possible. Only the Shodai Hokage had a wife."

"He was the only one who _publicly_ had a wife," coerrected Kagura. "But after an incident involving some rogues attempting to get to Hashirama by kidnapping his mate, Tobirama thought it best to keep his family a secret. So he married, and his wife bore him a daughter who eventually also married and had her own daughter. Her name…was Higarashi Maya."

Sakura's heart all but stopped beating completely as she began to connect the dots. Her mother was the 2nd Hokage's granddaughter? That meant Sakura herself…was also a descendant of the Senju clan?

How…how could she not have been told this? Why was her family heritage hidden from her for all these years? And why was she now forced to discover this from a woman who had her bound in a dark room? As these queries raced through her frustrated mind, the kunoichi stared unblinkingly before her.

"You'll get over the shock soon, dear," cooed Kagura. "You'll have to…I'm not even finished telling my story."

The girl sniffed and shook her head bravely. "S-so finish then," she spat.

Kagura chuckled and uncrossed her legs. "Well it goes without saying that I knew who your parents were, Sakura-chan. Your mother was an adept jonin possessing incomparable skill in water jutsu. Your father was also a jonin, a prestigious member of the Haruno clan with a _rinku_ that rivaled that of all others. Given this, I sought to determine whether the offspring of these two shinobi could bring forth the ninja sound in body and spirit that I've been searching for. So…I tested you."

Sakura fought the growing dryness of her mouth to speak. "T-tested…?"

"Well yes, of course." The woman rose from her seat and gave a tall, nonchalant stretch, tucking her kunai back into its holster. "How else would I know if you were the one? I've already analyzed your chakra and evaluated your potential for chakra-nature manipulation. Hahaha you definitely possess Senju blood in your veins, that's for sure."

"_Already _analyzed?" questioned Sakura, eyebrows furrowing in thought. "W-When did you…?" A wave of memories suddenly crashed through her mind from her subconscious, realization speedily superseding her puzzlement.

_She saw herself and the other Konoha 12 trapped in a dark dank dungeon after their training session __for the chuunin exams went awry. __Their arms were shackled and the restraints were attached to a high ceiling by chains. Also leading from the ceiling were various wires that ran down the chains and attached themselves into their hands._

_As she watched her past self struggle against the metallic bindings, Shikamaru's voice echoed in her mind. "__It looks like those wires are draining our chakra. Man, what a drag."_

"You were the one who captured us during that training mission…" The girl spoke slowly, her mind dazed from her discovery. "…a-and you extracted our chakra to analyze it."

Kagura chuckled. "Very good, Sakura-chan. And what else?"

"M-My training…w-when you used that chakra paper…"

Scenes from her first training session with Kagura also entered her thoughts as she recalled the chakra paper that revealed one's chakra nature.

_As Kagura searched inside the bag she was carrying, Sakura did all she could to suppress the squeal of excitement that was making its way to the surface. Then, the older woman pulled out a piece of paper. "This is special paper that will tell us which chakra nature you have, so we can know which types of jutsu I should focus on teaching you."_

"_Really? I mean you can do that? Wow. So what do I have to do?"_

_Kagura replied, "Just hold onto the paper and focus you're chakra into it. If you're nature is lightning, the paper crumples; earth, it turns to dust; water, it gets wet; fire, it burns; and wind, it splits in half."_

"_OK." Sakura grabbed the paper, and before she even focused her chakra…_

"The first one disintegrated…you had to use a special one before we found out I was water-natured."

"That's exactly right," she answered proudly. "Your chakra nature is too easily manipulable…a more sensitive paper that filters through the noise was required. And you were so easy to train given proper instruction too…" The woman's tone was reminiscent of a salivating dog eying a freshly-roasted tenderloin.

The disturbing imagery was fixed in Sakura's mind for a beat, her confusion and frustration for her lack of information on her own ancestry being gradually replaced with swelling fear. She was becoming aware of the fact that although Kagura was lecturing on and on about Sakura's eligibility as a candidate for this 'ninja sound in body and spirit' that Kagura desired, the woman failed to elucidate as to the specific reasons for her interest.

As the girl's fatigued mind chewed over this, she barely noticed one of the masked ninja in the room approach her from behind. She abruptly snapped into awareness just as she registered a blade slice through the ropes that bound her wrists around her back. She instinctively leapt to her left away from the rogue, stumbling where an unconscious Hinata was lying against the wall.

Her knees ached from kneeling on the bare floor for so long, and she unsteadily got to her feet as she rubbed the area on her wrists where the bindings used to be. "What's the meaning of all this?" asked Sakura, glaring at the smirking woman. "I still don't understand! Why did you capture us? What do you want with me? How did you know I'd be here? A-And what about my friends? What did you do with-"

"I think I've entertained enough of your questions for one day," interjected Kagura with finality. "You are free to go, Sakura-chan." The woman motioned for the kunoichi to leave.

The girl blinked back in uncertainty and disbelief. "You mean…you're letting us go?" There was an inflection of hope she could not restrain in her voice, despite the absurdity of her situation. She could not read this Kagura woman at all, but her better judgment told her this sudden portrayal of mercy was not to be trusted.

This was further legitimized when the room murmured with the sound of muffled chuckles as the woman and her underlings sniggered amusedly in response. Sakura got a sinking feeling that she was not going to find the source for their joke very funny. "You misunderstand, Sakura-chan," chortled Kagura. "_You_ may leave if you wish. However, the girl stays here." The older ninja pointed a slender finger at the kunoichi beside Sakura.

"You're not keeping Hinata," stated Sakura, confidence replacing apprehension as she stood straighter before the squad of ninja. Her body reacted to this sudden rush of protectiveness. She could feel her muscles tighten, like a wound coil ready to pounce with fierce force at a moment's notice. "You can't be expecting me to leave here without her?"

The silver-haired woman smirked knowingly. "No, I can't much say I did. But the question remains…just what exactly are you going to do about it?"

The masked ninja furthest in front took a threatening stride forward, and Sakura defensively matched his with a step backwards. "What are you...?" The Leaf ninja's voice trailed off as she glanced back and forth, from Hinata lying helplessly on the floor to the intimidating masked ninja bearing his unsheathed tanto. She suddenly felt like ice water ran down her back as understanding washed over her. For whatever reason, these rogues now shifted their focus from holding Sakura to harming and possibly murdering Hinata.

Time seemed rested in that moment for a while. Sakura's gaze lingered at the slick piece of metal winking at her wickedly as it glinted in the dim light of the room. One second, the girl seemed mesmerized by the blade, as it slowly made its approach to where she stood. But before Sakura could fully register what her body was doing next, the Leaf ninja swiftly took the unconscious girl in her arms and slammed the side of her adrenaline-rushed body into the window above them.

The two kunoichi crashed through the opening and tumbled down the side of the roof below the sill, plummeting off the roof and onto the earth below. Allowing her left shoulder to cushion their fall, Sakura suppressed a painful moan as their tumbling bodies impacted with the grassy land below.

Sparing no time to look herself over, the girl struggled to get to her feet. She hurriedly brushed the shattered shards of glass buried within her bleeding left arm, supported Hinata and hastily took to the trees.

* * *

During her dash to freedom, it took Sakura a few minutes before she had the presence of mind to sense if she was being pursued. She tried to concentrate, despite the pain in her arm and the strain of supporting Hinata as she leapt from tree to tree. To her puzzlement, she could not detect any ninja nearby. And this disturbed her. Any ninja with two functioning legs could have caught up to her within seconds, especially since she could not travel at full speed. What reason did they have for lagging behind?

Before she could entertain that thought, yet another query came to mind…

Where was the rest of her team? What had become of Naruto, Sasuke and Ino? Were the ninja they were up against earlier a part of Kagura's scheme as well? Were the others defeated? Were they…even alive?

Sakura shook her head reluctantly at the thought. _No! I…I can't just give up hope like that. The others are strong. I __**have**__ to believe they made it through…they…just had to have made it through…_

The girl inhaled deeply, hoping the air she inspired might also fill her with some sense of peace, despite the situation. She knew she had to quiet her emotions and remain calm. She forced her countless inquiries aside, and focused in on a goal instead.

She had to escape, or at the very least keep Hinata safe.

That was going to be difficult. Not only was she outnumbered, but she also had the added burden of carrying an unconscious body. Although it was fortunate that Hinata had a small build, Sakura had a tiny frame herself, and the exertion of carrying the Hyuga was beginning to take its toll. Her chances of victory would be next to none if she also had to fight.

The kunoichi halted her movements, resting Hinata gently onto the tree branch they were standing on. Huffing from physical exertion, Sakura closed her eyes, pressed her palms together and centered her energies on the environment. The terrain was incredibly damp, assisting her in assimilating a complete sense of her surroundings by focusing on the ubiquitous water that caked the flora.

Sakura raised her hands and pooled water from the moist trees and humid air, accumulating it before her. She then made her hand sign. "Water Style: Water clone." Two replicas materialized from the merging water before her. They stood on either side of the sleeping blue-haired girl, awaiting further instruction from their creator.

The original Sakura still had her eyes closed, feeling through her surroundings. Once they catch up to us, _I won't have the time to pool water together for each attack…not while we're trying to escape. I have to find a more substantial water source. According to the map we received for this mission, there's supposed to be a river marking the halfway point to Konoha…though that's assuming Kagura didn't take us too far from our original location. I just have to find it…at the very least, it would mean making it close to home...and help..._

She centered her energies of perception as best she could to sift through the forest and locate this river. She began to grow anxious as seconds ticked by and she still could not detect the watercourse. Her anxiety only hindered her ability to focus, and after giving herself a few more moments, she sighed in defeat and frustration. _It's no use…if there is a river anywhere around, it's too far away for me to sense. _She opened her eyes, taking in her environment with her eyes instead.

The luscious forest she was now standing in felt quite similar to the one she had been in before their capture. The sun was directly overhead; an indication of midday. Given that the team had begun their mission early that morning, Sakura assumed Kagura could not have taken her and Hinata too far away from their original location. That meant they were within no more than 20km of the leaf village. On a normal day, she could travel that distance within an hour.

But that did not change the fact that she did not know her bearings. It would not have been wise to blindly run through the forest and hope she happened to be travelling in the direction toward help. She glanced down at the comatose Hyuga beside her, wishing Hinata was conscious now more than ever, if only to use her Byakugan to point her in the right direction.

She could feel herself trembling. As terrifying as it was being hunt down, helplessness during the hunt was far worse.

Yet again, she found herself needing to snap herself out of her thoughts. She clenched her left fist, allowing the pain of doing so with an injured arm to keep her mind more stably cemented in reality. Now was not the time to feel sorry for herself…

_I just have to trust that everything will work out…_she decided. _Please…spirits of the world…Kami…whoever is out there, please…I don't care what happens to me…just help me protect my friend._

After her silent prayer, Sakura took another deliberate inhalation before she at last charged forward, her two water clones in tow, supporting Hinata.

* * *

It was another 10 minutes of sprinting through the trees before Sakura detected her enemies in pursuit. _I guess they're ready to get serious,_ thought Sakura, wiping away a bead of sweat from her brow. _Why let me get this far before coming after me…not like I know where I'm going but still? Did they do all that just to tire me out?_

She had pooled enough water while travelling to create a total of six water clones. If she could not get to a river, then she would have to be prepared to fight in some other way. And with a makeshift strategy in mind, she looked on at Hinata being carried beside her, her eyes communicating a resolve as she hoped with all her might it would work. _I guess this is it…_

Sakura turned her body in mid-air in time to find one of the masked ninja within her sights. Seeing him bathed in the natural light of the sun, Sakura saw that he was in a black body suit with white body armor and a white meshed mask concealing his entire face.

As he drew closer, the ninja revealed a Fuma shuriken in his hands and discharged the weapon toward his quarry. The large, glowing weapon infused with chakra just missed a clone as it sliced through the surrounding trees before unexpectedly curving around them and returning toward its owner like a boomerang, nicking the real Sakura's left arm in the process. She winced slightly, pressing down on the gash with her uninjured hand. The cut ran deep, despite the fact that the blade barely grazed her. The kunoichi suspected there may have been chakra molded within the weapon to cause this, but could not waste time deliberating it further. She made a mental note to account for the blades wider reach next time.

As the white-masked ninja caught his shuriken, another pursuer came into view. He had green armor and a green mask and wielded an ornate metallic staff. The ninja jumped forward and onto the bare ground, slamming his staff into the dirt and performed various hand signs. The land suddenly quaked with movement as a wave of earth rose forward and toward Sakura's group, trees collapsing in its destructive wake.

Sakura's pace quickened as she and her clones desperately tried to outrun the attack. As the wave swiftly drew nearer despite their efforts, Sakura knew that avoiding the upsurge of earth was impossible. It had to be stopped in its tracks. The question was…how?

She did not know any jutsu that could counter it. She began to panic, no feasible ideas coming to mind. _Maybe I can use my clones to catapult us out of the way…o-or channel an attack on the earth-user and maybe it'll dispel the jutsu…? _Each plan seemed worse than the next, and in her panic her hands frantically pressed against her body and into her pockets, almost hoping she could physically discover a better plan.

Sakura had not expected to find anything on her. In her experience, waking up after being held captive by enemies usually meant you had been de-weaponed. To her surprise, however, she found her ninja pouch completely stocked. Her trembling fingers searched through the bag, eventually coming across a papery object which instantly sparked an idea.

Thinking quickly, Sakura retrieved all the explosive tags she had from her pouch, as did one of the water clones to Hinata's case. Once they amassed them all, they dropped the tags in one area below as they made their way through the trees. Sakura hoped the depression and vibrations of the ensuing explosion, in combination with the forest trees present on the attack's path, would nullify the energy of the wave approaching them, or at the very least slow it down so they could escape it.

The air thundered from the boom of the detonated tags. Sakura felt a strong, heated gust of wind rush from the explosion site, as she turned to find an erupting mass of dirt and bits of wood envelop the area. Visibility was poor for a few moments after the boom, but the fact that those moments were not spent being slammed by a mountain of earth told Sakura her plan might have worked.

Her group continued to push forward, and when the dust finally cleared in the distance behind them there was a mound of disfigured earth meshed with the greenery of fallen trees and broken branches. The kunoichi exhaled a breath of relief, grateful to have avoided what could have been a disastrous attack.

She could not rejoice for too long, though. There was no sign of pursuers in sight just yet, but she still felt a nagging sense of danger. Something was off…and she did not have to reflect too long before she realized what it was…

Both she and Hinata still had their weapons.

It was an unspoken rule that your foes always take your tools away after capture. Memories of Kagura's abduction of the 'Konoha 12' a year ago indicated that the woman was familiar with this rule, as Sakura recalled that they had been weaponless on that occasion. Why did the white-haired woman elect not to do so after this capture as well?

Before Sakura could even begin to work out an answer, a barrage of fireballs torpedoed their way. The real Sakura hung back to manage the flames and spare any of her clones from being destroyed.

Using the tree branches for leverage, she flitted between the flares and hammered her kunai into the fiery spheres, slicing through them and causing them to disintegrate. The residual flames continuously burnt her arms each time she neared a fireball to destroy it, so that by the end of the assault her person wreaked of scalded flesh.

Without checking her injuries, she sped forward to rejoin her clones. As she did so, another glowing shuriken jetted past her and toward the group, destroying a water clone as it made its round to return to its owner. Sakura gritted her teeth. _Darn…I already thought six clones weren't going to be enough. I'm going to need to keep the rest alive if I want to stand a chance at saving Hinata._

By the time Sakura regrouped, there were four ninja tailing them in sight. The two new faces had their own respective colored armor and mask, red and yellow. _They're catching up to us quickly…I-I don't think I have the energy to speed up any more than I am. _Sakura looked at her unconscious friend. _I can't give up! We just have to keep moving…_

The yellow-masked ninja unsheathed and raised his sword, after which the air began to hum lightly as the weapon pulsated with electricity. After half a minute, the ninja aimed his quivering shaft of metal at the group and fired the stored chakra in one bolt of lightning. There was no way of avoiding the blow, and no clone would be able to absorb the full force of the impending attack without melting apart.

Allowing the others to continue, Sakura submitted to being the metaphoric sacrificial lamb and stood on a branch in the direct path of the beam, bracing herself for the current. She focused her chakra into the palms of her hands to defend against the blow as best she could and waited. The next moment, lightning smashed into her extended hands and surged painfully through her entire body. Her body began to grow numb as more and more electricity fed into her system, but she knew she had to endure it.

And as her muscles continued to spasm uncontrollably under the influence of the current, she felt an odd sensation within herself. She almost felt like someone had been calling out her name…

Just as suddenly as it arrived, the attack subsided into nothingness, revealing a severely burnt pair of palms. Her body stood limply moments later, stiff from the shock. Recalling the voice she thought she had heard moments ago, the girl forced her eyes open, looking expectantly for the source of the sound and silently hoping it had been one of her teammates. Without warning, the green-masked ninja appeared before her eyes and slammed his staff into Sakura's stomach, hurtling her through the tree branches and into a trunk.

Her body quivered as she gasped both in pain and from having the wind knocked out of her as she attempted to get to her feet. Blood slid down the side of her mouth, but she brushed it off valiantly. Before she was even able to take a step forward, the red-masked ninja approached and landed a flaming punch to her face, causing her to fall off the tree and onto the grassy earth below her.

Her right cheek throbbed with pain, and the heat rising from the wound seared her eyes. She knew she could not waste time lying face down in the dirt, but as much as she willed herself to stand and catch up with her clones, she only managed to get to her knees shakily. Just then, a blue-masked ninja darted toward her, armed with tonfas surrounded by a layer of water. Sakura pressed her scorched palms and feet into the ground and jumped into the air just in time to miss a horizontal swipe of her tonfa. The weapon pounded into the nearby tree, completely uprooting it as the pressure of the impact sent the tree crashing into its neighbors.

_Highly pressurized blows,_ thought Sakura, watching the tree as she was in midair. Sakura landed onto the ground and achingly withdrew her kunai to defend herself. Her foe spun around for another sweep. Sakura darted to one side to dodge the first, but could not manage another swift escape for the follow-up blow. She did the only thing she could and blocked the tonfas with her kunai. That successfully stopped the weapon but unfortunately did nothing to mitigate the pressure, and the attack knocked Sakura backwards. The leaf ninja was able to catch herself on her feet, as her body slammed into the tree behind her.

With that one hit, Sakura was suddenly struck with an idea, one that would surely distance her from this enemy and allow her to regroup with her clones. For some reason though, she was hesitant to try it just yet. Something inside her told her it wasn't the right time. And although she was never one to believe her own instincts even existed to let alone trust them, she decided to acknowledge the little twinge in her gut just this once.

She pressed her chakra-filled palms against the top of the bark behind her and flipped her body upwards onto the trunk just as the water-style user smashed her tonfa into the place Sakura just stood. The trunk instantly snapped with a crack, and the leaf chuunin pounced off the tower of wood just as it was about to collapse.

_Still not yet_, she thought as she alighted herself on a neighboring tree branch. _It's still not time yet…_

She sensed another attack from above, and dove off the branch just as a ball of fire rocketed from above her. The young chuunin evaded the attack just barely, but her face felt hot from the smoke of a few singed locks of pink as she skidded against the dirt floor.

Just as she staggered to regain her center of gravity, the water user charged in for another attack.

And in that moment…she knew it was time.

It was an unfamiliar sensation, somewhat like a spark of electricity in her gut…a fire of courage in the pit of her stomach. It was a feeling of inner knowing…

Sakura drew several kunai and tossed a barrage of them at her foe. The enemy kunoichi did not hesitate in her advance, as she expertly twirled her tonfas about her to deflect each blow at increasingly high pressure. Sakura did not relent, continuing her assault despite its obvious lack of success.

The Leaf kunoichi had reached her last couple kunai in her holster, just as the enemy ninja had made her way before her. She could feel the fire-style user nearby as well, charging his gloved fists for another attack. But the pink-haired chuunin saved these special kunai for last, and with one last bracing breath, hurled her weapon.

The blue-masked kunoichi, with her high-speed whirling tonfas, easily struck the ninja knife into the air. However, with that last deflection, the ninja failed to notice that the projectile was attached with wire to another kunai in Sakura's hand. As the weapon rebounded through the air at high pressure, the pink-haired chuunin soared with it and out of harm's way.

The young ninja rocketed through the forest flora, and was continuously raked by the sharp edges of tree branches before finally stumbling into a large clearing.

All was dark, as she lay on the soft, moistened earth, seemingly unconscious. She could make out a gentle rushing sound…never-ending, as its soft whispers lulled her exhausted being to sleep.

But now was no time for rest.

She twitched her body into alertness, forcing her eyes open as she struggled onto her burnt and stinging palms to prop herself up. Her clothes were rather filthy, having just tumbled onto the muddy ground on which she was now struggling to stand on. She was huffing heavily, her lungs barely able to accommodate her body's oxygen debt.

When she finally got to her feet, she was met with the unexpected sight of her water clones, all five of them. Hinata was with them as well, still unconscious. From their untouched appearance, it seemed they had not been attacked. They were just waiting for her there.

How those replicas of water knew she was going to land in that clearing was a mystery which she welcomed. She was overjoyed that Hinata was safe, and they had regrouped. The separation had made her slightly anxious during her scuffle with the enemy ninja.

What caused her even more elation was the lane of deep blue she noticed behind them. It instantly clicked what the source of that rushing sound she had heard earlier was.

_I-I can't believe it…we found the river!_

* * *

**Got this out one day earlier than scheduled...part of my recognition of the 2 year anniversary of posting this story! I've come so far since then, and I owe it all to my readers. Thanks so much for helping me make this story 2 years strong!**

**So as you can surmise, I've left you guys with a terrible cliffhanger with this chap. The truth is, I wrote then re-wrote this chapter. And now it's twice as long as I originally intended. So I split it.**

**Expect some more excitement next chapter!**


	35. The Final Trial

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own, nor do I pretend to own, Naruto or any of the characters in this story. **

**Chapter 35 posted 6/25/11**

* * *

**_The Final Trial_**

Sakura started forward and abruptly dropped to her knees. Four of the clones rushed toward her side to support their creator's weakened frame, while the last one remained with Hinata near the bank.

_I…I have no clue how this all just happened but…oh I just don't care! This river is our ticket to freedom! _With the help of her clones, the kunoichi made it to her feet once again. She looked over at Hinata for reassurance of the girl's safety as she contemplated her next move.

_Konoha is a few kilometers after this river. If we could just make it home. Then…_

The bubble of hope that was swelling inside her was suddenly burst with a start.

In a flash, the green and white masked ninjas appeared in the center of the clearing. It was a bitter-sweet turn of events, as Sakura and her clones apprehensively stood between their path to safety and the obstacles that threatened to stop them. Freedom could never have been so close yet so very far away…

She could almost cry at the unfairness of it, her watering emerald eyes evidencing that. But she stood her ground; she was a chuunin of the Hidden Leaf Village, after all. So she clung to the last bit of hope she had left…her water clones. She had not poured her chakra into them all this time during the chase for nothing. Yes…she still had a tactic up her sleeve.

Sakura pressed her palms together for concentration just as the two enemy ninja rushed forward. Two of the water clones also implemented a charge of their own. As they ran to meet their foes, their appearance began to change somehow. Their structure was disintegrating…

Then Sakura, gritting her teeth, performed her jutsu. "Water Style: Multi-Water Vortex jutsu!"

The attacking clones suddenly melted into spiraling whirlpools of water which expeditiously collided into two of the ninja. The twin typhoons of water and ninja towered and curved upwards into the air before they tenaciously swerved into the raging river, allowing the natural stream of water to sweep away the enemies.

Sakura's stance wavered once again in fatigue, and the girl would have collapsed to the earth completely if her other two clones had not been there to hold her up. She was borderline euphoric that her water clone-aided jutsu worked the way she intended it. Unfortunately, she was also really feeling the strain of the day's trials. They had to escape quickly.

_The rest of those ninja should find it difficult to follow us after we cross…that would buy us some time. If I could somehow make it to the Hidden Leaf…get help…they could find Sasuke and the others, and this whole thing would be over. We just need to cross…and I know just the jutsu to help us out._

Still supported by her clones, Sakura placed her hands into a seal for focus, but winced slightly. Her wrists to her fingertips tingled with an aching burn, layered with blood. Her will, however, did not falter and she continued to concentrate her energies.

"Water Style: Water Wall!"

A column of water rose from one end of the river to the other, holding back the tempest-tossed waters from the downstream areas. With the water calm, the clone carrying Hinata was able to take her across the river. Sakura ensured the pair made it safely across before she attempted to traverse the watercourse while still holding her jutsu.

But that proved to be more than her fatigued body and mind could endure. Before Sakura and her two clones even stepped onto the surface of the water body, the wall began to falter, and the river's torrential waters burst through. Sakura gasped for breath, gulping hard as she desperately tried to regain her focus.

"Water Style: Water Wall!"

The tower rose part of the way across the banks, but soon destabilized and collapsed yet again.

Sakura continued to pant, her body now filling with nervous energy. _It's no use…I can't do it, not while sustaining the remaining water clones. It's already taking such focus just to sustain Hinata's clone across the river. It's harder…when they're so far away…_

Sakura bit her lip, sensing the presence of two more ninja approaching them. _Darn it…__**more **__of them? Every time I think we've cut a break… _She gulped nervously. _What do I do? I can't cross unless I dispel my clones. B-But if I do…I can barely walk on my own. There's no way I'd be able to carry Hinata back to the village too. I'd have to…leave her behind. And then what would happen to her when those ninja finally cross the river?_

Sakura shook her head resolutely, refusing to accept those consequences. _No! That isn't an option. I __**will**__ save Hinata! It's my fault we got into this mess in the first place. I can't let anything bad happen to her…not after what might have already happened to Naruto, Sasuke and Ino…_

The kunoichi inhaled a calming breath. She seemed to need a lot of those today.

_I'll focus my energies to sustain the water clone as far as possible. And with any luck…someone will find her in time. I'll have to hold those ninja off till then._

The girl looked solemnly toward the pair across the river, as the Hyuga and her carrier headed toward the forest beyond the bank and disappeared into the trees.

_This is where we part ways, Hinata. I hope my clone can carry you far enough away from here before it loses form. Please give everyone my love. I hope we can all make it back home…_ Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. Although her friend was unconscious the entire time, the fact that Hinata had been with her during the chase had provided a morsel of comfort to the chuunin.

But now…she was officially alone.

She had lost all hope that the rest of her team might come to help them. And they were not scheduled to arrive back to Konoha from their mission until tomorrow morning. No one would notice their absence. No one was going to come to her aid.

_I guess this is it…_she thought, as the two chakra signatures she had been sensing reached peak sharpness.

Sakura and her two remaining clones turned from the river to the forest, their gazes meeting two new parties, the blue and red-masked ninjas. _Let's hope what worked once will work again…_

Her two clones left her side and stampeded to the two enemies, just like they had done before. Sakura performed her learned hand seals and the water clones metamorphosed into two vortexes of water.

The attacks drove directly into their intended targets. The first cyclone struck the fire-style user squarely in the chest, and began to carry him into the river. The typhoon that hit the water-style user, however, did not move. The attack rippled backwards as it attempted to force its way through. The water was being impeded by a set of twirling tonfas, glowing defiantly with chakra.

To Sakura's dismay, the blue-masked ninja was left standing after the attack finally subsided, her chest making motions of rapid breathing. Just as Sakura was about to tense her body for battle, she heard the sound of two feet landing behind her.

The situation went from bad to worse as she glanced backwards to find the red-masked ninja, standing pristinely in place, his body surrounded by steam. It seemed as though he had used his fire jutsu to evaporate the water in the vortex before it managed to torpedo him into the river.

The kunoichi began stepping away from the two, trying to gain enough distance so that they were both in her line of vision. The two foes did not relent, striding toward her cockily as the frightened girl struggled to get away from them.

That last attack meant that most of her chakra was gone. She was quietly struggling to use whatever was left to sustain her last water clone that escaped with Hinata. And as she continued her slow but futile retreat from her enemies, she stumbled backwards and fell.

Her hands shakily tried to bring her body to its original upright position, but she could not find the energy to. Or perhaps things went badly so many times today that she no longer had the perseverance to keep pushing through.

But just then, she began to sense an energy signature…three to be exact. The two ninja before her arrested their advance, and Sakura could visibly tell that they had tensed. Was this the help she had been praying for? The two rogues appeared disturbed enough by the presence anyway. Could those three signatures belong to the three teammates she had been wondering about all this time?

The girl dared to be hopeful. And as the three chakras neared her location, she knew by her lack of familiarity with them that they had not been her friends. But perhaps it was someone else. Someone coming to her rexcue.

Three figures suddenly appeared out of the forest, alighting themselves in the space before Sakura. Her eyes widened as the persons came into focus, followed by the sound of slow clapping.

"Well done, Sakura-chan," congratulated the woman who had been the source of the applause. "I must say, I am quite impressed."

"Kagura," said Sakura through gritted teeth. "And I see Idate is also with you." The brown-haired youth was standing at Kagura's left, saying nothing. The yellow-masked ninja also stood, on his master's right.

"Always the tone of defiance, ay?" snickered Kagura in amusement. "Though I can't find myself able to be too irate with you, my dear. You've surpassed my expectations."

"Y-Your expectations?" repeated the Leaf chuunin slowly.

"Why yes…" answered the woman, who was now walking toward the fallen girl. "You not only incapacitated two of my men, but it seems you also managed to get your friend away from here. And by the looks of things, you must not have had an easy time doing it, hahahaha."

The kunoichi did a once over at her appearance. Her hair was disheveled, covered in dirt and grime as was her face. Cuts and burns littered her body, and she sported several bruises as well.

"I knew threatening that girl would push you to your limits," continued Kagura, finally standing just before Sakura. Her bare legs occupied the girl's entire field of vision. Sakura did not even bother to look up at the woman as she continued to speak. "And now that your chakra has been exhausted, we can move on to the next phase."

"Next…phase…?" The kunoichi finally tilted her head upwards to get a view of the face of the woman standing before her. "W-What do you mean by that? A-And what exactly was this all about? You don't even seem interested in Hinata at all anymore…urgh I don't understand!"

The young girl held her head in confusion and frustration, her tearing eyes reflecting those feelings as well. She had been put through such an experience that day that it was nothing short of demonic. And now, just as she thought she was at the end of the game, for better or worse, the cards suddenly changed. It was unfair. She was drained, hungry, afraid, and did not even know the reason as to why she was being subjected to such an ordeal.

"My dear, there is no need at all to be so upset," replied Kagura, pouting. "It's actually quite simple. I mentioned before what I had been searching for, correct? Do you recall what that was?"

The Leaf kunoichi did not answer. Her mind had been dulled by the day's events. She did not have the energy to play Kagura's games anymore. She just wanted it all over. No…she just wanted to go home.

But she knew that would not happen.

"Sakura-chan? Answer me when I talk to you…"

The girl continued to look out dazedly when she received a sudden smack to her face. The loud clap that came with the slap shook her more than the actual blow. She slowly shifted her head back to its original face-forward position, her left cheek throbbing with a tickling sting.

"You are too kind, Aoi," called Kagura, as the yellow-masked ninja who had just slammed his palm into Sakura cheek now bowed and stepped aside. "But such force is unnecessary…well…for now, anyway. You see, dearest Sakura-chan, as I had explained, one of my goals in this world is to discover a ninja sound in both body and spirit. I suspect you may be that ninja, dear. And I have already tested your body and its chakra. What's left now is your spirit…your _rinku_. And so today, I will test the potency of your _rinku_."

"W-What?" came a small voice below the woman. "Another test…h-how?" The girl was almost afraid to get an answer, but a small part of her…the defiant part, the part she got from her mother…refused to just allow herself to be used without knowing the reason for it. She deserved answers.

The malevolent woman smirked. "The surest way to evaluate the potency of a ninja's _rinku_ is placing the ninja in an…_extreme_ circumstance. One such as…say…threatening their survival."

There was a snap of fingers, and almost instantaneously, Sakura felt a blast of electrifying chakra tear through her. Her body contorted awkwardly as she arched backward when the current connected.

"Ahhhhhh! Ngh…AAAHHHHHHHH!"

When it passed, she collapsed to the ground. She could smell the charcoal scent of her singed clothing as she panted heavily. The pain and caused her to lose focus on her remaining water clone that had been with Hinata. She knew that it had finally disintegrated.

"Well done, Sakura-chan," came a voice which sounded like it was above her. She did not even bother to shift herself off her stomach to face the woman. ""You see, if we injure you to the point of inevitable death and you happen to survive, it means your _rinku_ is strong enough to enlist the energies of the natural universe to heal your body enough to save your life. You seem to withstand electricity well enough, anyway."

"Does (pant) this mean you'll (pant) finally leave me alone now?" she asked half-heartedly.

"Talent _and_ a sense of humor." Kagura chuckled. "Sakura-chan, you really are the full package, aren't you? But we're not nearly done yet. The purpose of all this running around was to exhaust your body and expend your chakra. Now the real test begins."

Sakura's stomach exploded in pain as a boot struck her abdomen and forced her onto her back. The kunoichi nearly choked on the blood she was coughing, and reflexively turned onto her side to clear her airway. Before she could raise her head up, electricity was rippling through her body once again. She screamed in agony as she felt the energy rip through her muscle fibers until her limbs felt lifeless and her chest felt too heavy to allow her to breathe.

The surge was immediately followed up by another blow to her front, this time accompanied by a gut-wrenching crack within her chest. She knew she had busted her ribs. Her body rolled lifelessly onto her stomach.

Sakura could register some shifting going on behind her as she desperately gasped for breath, after which someone spoke. "A-Are you sure this is necessary, Mistress?"

"Idate, don't be such a softy. The child must learn to respect me. Why not capitalize on this as an opportunity for an early lesson. Now take it, Aoi."

After the lightning-style ninja grasped the unknown object, the steady humming of electricity filled the air once again, however instead of a surge their came a hard snap on Sakura's back, causing her fists to clench reflexively. "AAAAAHHHHHH!"

"That's it, now keep going," coaxed Kagura, almost hungrily.

The crack of the lightning whip snapping onto her back sounded with each second that ticked by. Her nearly skinless fingers clutched at the ground in desperation as Sakura continued to scream into the dirt, her body howling at her in pain.

After a certain point, her contracted fists gradually loosened as each successive lash grew increasingly dull. Eventually she could no longer feel the leather tear her flesh or the electricity burn through her nerves…there was just pressure. It was almost soothing, a rhythmic lullaby calling her to sleep. She could feel her consciousness slipping from her. Maybe she didn't have the strength to live through this after all. Would it matter if she didn't? Death would allow her to see her parents, her family, Usagi…perhaps even Sasuke and Naruto too, if they didn't make it through this either, as she suspected. They would all have a happy afterlife together…no more sadness…no more pain…

"AHHHHHHHH!" screamed Sakura, the burning sting in her thigh jolting her into reality once again. Aoi had now abandoned the whipping and went on to sink a kunai into the inside of her thigh. Blood was now gushing down her leg and to the ground. "NNNNGGHH!" she groaned as he twisted it inside her and relinquished his hold on it to follow up with another kick into her broken ribcage.

"That will be enough for now, Aoi," called Kagura. "It is so fortunate that I selected you to perform this task. You are as ruthless as I expected." The woman grinned at the yellow-masked ninja, then turned to the other two behind her. "You two, return to the hideout and check in with the other underlings that were sent to deal with Sakura-chan's little friends. They should have been back by now."

The blue and red-masked ninjas bowed to their master and disappeared into the foliage. Kagura sauntered toward the moaning teen in the dirt. The woman pouted. "Aww…it pains me to see you this way, Sakura-chan, it really does," she said dispassionately. "I promise though, it'll all be over soon. I just need your arm for a moment."

She crouched down and grabbed Sakura's right arm. She removed the remnants of her singed gloves and proceeded to caress the length of her upper limb. "You are clearly a very kind and compassionate person, Sakura-chan. You've forced my hand to do this. If I had succeeded in snatching you away when you were still a baby, I would have been able to prevent your parents from corrupting you with this love and friendship nonsense. But since that is not the case, I am forced to take _precautionary_ measures…you can thank your meddlesome mother and her family for that."

Without thinking or even bothering to question what Kagura said, Sakura broke free of Kagura's hold and, in a fit of anger, punched the woman square in the jaw…or she would have if the experienced kunoichi had not caught her fist in mid-swing. The woman narrowed her eyes as Sakura struggled to free her hand. Her patience wearing thin, Kagura held her forearm and swiftly snapped it in one fluid movement, cleanly breaking the two bones of that region.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The sweltering pain radiating along her entire right limb was too much to bear, as she slumped forward and into Kagura's arms. She was sobbing lightly, biting her lip to fight back any more screams, the pain causing her world to spin. "Sh sh sh," cooed Kagura, rubbing the back of Sakura's head in a motherly fashion. "Hush now, dear. You provoked me to do that. I promise you, it will all be over soon."

Sakura continued to sob as Kagura moved her arms behind her to form various hand seals. The woman then pressed her palm against Sakura's arm, funneling a steady stream of chakra into the girl's body.

The dull pressure of her palm against her skin instantaneously became a scorching wildfire that was creeping into her body through her right arm. Sakura screamed her loudest yet as her body jerked desperately away from the ninja so that she could release her hold on her. Kagura used her free arm to clasp the chuunin tightly against her body, so that all she could do was struggle fruitlessly within the bosom of her enemy.

Sakura wailed and moaned into Kagura's chest, heated tears streaming down her face as her body tugged and heaved haphazardly with all its might but to no avail. She could feel herself growing hotter, sensations of heat, pain, anxiety and excitement imploding within her. Her heart could not bear it, the air she breathed seared her lungs and she felt every muscle in her body contracting as if to push the invasive chakra out.

After what felt like hours, chakra was no longer being poured into her. However Sakura continued to shudder. Kagura released her hold and the girl collapsed to the floor, wheezing and panting heavily, her body soaked in blood and sweat. Her sunken eyes were unfocused, staring out unblinkingly.

Kagura rose from the ground, huffing from exertion as well. "Kagura-sama," said Idate, "we must take you to our safe house immediately, before you collapse."

"Yes yes," she panted, "I know. Deal the final blow then bring her with you, Aoi."

"Yes, Mistress," bowed her subordinate.

The woman supported herself on Idate, throwing the broken girl on the floor one final look. "Good luck, Sakura-chan."

The two disappeared into the forest, leaving Aoi with his weapon in hand. "You know what this is, kid?" Aoi grabbed Sakura by the collar and held her up, as if considerately trying to give her a better view of his weapon. "It's the Sword of the Thunder God. It used to be owned by Senju Tobirama himself. How fitting that it be the dealer of the final blow." He smirked and fluidly pierced the girl cleanly through her abdomen. She did not have the strength to scream this time…her eyes merely widened at the shock of being impaled. Blood trickled down the side of her mouth while it spurted out the actual wound profusely.

Her vision began to falter…she could feel her system weaken as her blood gushed out of her. Just as suddenly as she was lifted, Sakura found herself on the ground once again. The man who had dropped her called something out. She couldn't really understand the words. Then there were other voices too, but they seemed muffled…muffled and so very far away.

…

A hand…

She felt a hand touch her cheek, but it seemed shaky…or was it her own body quivering against it?

"Sakura…"

She tried to connect her senses to her surroundings, but everything was so muddled. She could make out a bright orb before her. Was it the sun? Or perhaps the light of another world bidding her to it?

"Sakura…"

There was also a face…a face above hers, calling her name. He was right there…calling her to him. Her unfocused eyes stared up at him…he seemed so familiar to her.

"Sakura…"

And the voice…that was familiar too. Why was he calling her? She was right there next him, wasn't she? Or maybe she was slipping away from him…

"Sakura…"

That hand again…it stopped shaking. Now it was gently caressing the un-singed side of her face. His palm was warm…it did not burn like Kagura's did when it met her skin…it was just warm. Everywhere hurt except that area he was touching. She decided to focus on that spot…she was drawn to it…to him. Would he agree to take all her pain away?

"Sakura…"

She knew it was time to leave, but she could not tear herself away from him. There were beings in a distant world calling her name too…many voices…why was his the loudest?...the clearest?

"Sakura…"

She felt happy where she was though…in that moment, she was at peace. She nuzzled her face into his palm as she allowed the warmth of him to gently radiate through her. It was the warmth of a friend.

She tightened the corner of her bleeding lips into a smile.

"S-Sa-su-ke…"

* * *

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I sincerely hope you enjoyed this one as well. (Would it be too sadistic of me to admit that I actually enjoyed writing the torture scenes? *gives evil grin*) **

**If you've got any questions please let me know. One person commented that the whole Kagura-Idate thing was unclear. It is supposed to be unclear. They do have a history that I will be gradually revealing...can't give you guys ALL the info at once right? **

**Stay tuned!**


	36. Beginning to Heal

**My sincerest thanks to everyone who read and reviewed last chapter! I really appreciated the encouragement, especially given what I was going through last week. No worries...I discovered that the threat of my story being "in violation" was a total lie, and this story won't get pulled after all! Thanks so much to everyone who supported me during that scare. Special thanks to my special friend, Miss Chocolat, for calming me down.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything else in this story, except for the ideas behind _rinku._**

**Chapter 36 posted 7/2/2011**

* * *

_**Beginning to Heal**_

Humming…

There was a periodic humming. It was a gentle sound, very non-intrusive. Then there was the intermittent _beep_…high-pitched and brief. It seemed to harmonize well with the affable strumming.

But with time this melodious ballad grew somewhat irritating.

Suction…constant suction of air. The incessant wheezing of the respirator was becoming maddening. Push and pull, push and pull, up and down. This annoying tedium was only rivaled by the intermittent screeches of the electrocardiogram. It was strident…and just as she began to tune out the rasping of the respirator, the shrill shriek pierced her senses, making her aware of the sounds once again.

Her exasperation and frustration drew her closer and closer to consciousness, and she began to notice other things. The area around her nose felt warm and humid, almost sticky. The air contained the feint scent of plastic.

She felt a dull pain reverberate through her body. It was too widespread to localize the injured areas…she just hurt. It was bearable though. A dampened sensation compared to the maelstrom of agony that whipped through her body the last time she was conscious.

As she tried to numb her mind to the pain, she sensed a quiet energy somewhere in the room. It did not seem threatening to her, but she was hesitant to trust her instincts. What would greet her eyes once she awakened was a complete mystery to her. She could not recall facts at this point, only feelings. Apart from pain, the only other sensation that stuck out to her was that of foreboding and dread.

Did she really want to wake up?

There was another feeling somewhere there, though. A positive one entering her recollection. It was soothing, peaceful…and so warm.

Right…it was the last thing she felt before finding herself in this bed. A quiet calm and rousing hope.

Perhaps she shouldn't reject this new presence after all.

As she focused on the unknown signature, something about it seemed familiar. It was electrifying and strong…carefree yet purposeful. Most of all, it was reassuring…it made her feel secure, protected. Like no more bad things were going to happen to her if she opened her eyes.

Maybe it really was safe to wake up…

Slowly she lifted her heavy eyelids. It felt like an eternity since she used these muscles. As her evergreen irises became exposed to the natural light of the room, a blur of orange entered her field of vision. Just as it appeared, the figure vanished from view and resurfaced moments later with another paler blob.

An orb of light shun into her eyes, causing her to wince. Did she really just battle to regain consciousness only to be blinded by her welcomers?

The flashlight's beam clicked off soon afterwards. Then the colorful shadows began to speak.

"Sakura…Sakura can you hear me? Do know who I am?"

It was a woman's voice. Her tone was stern, yet concerned. The sound stirred something in her memory…if only she could connect the voice to the face.

"Is Sakura-chan gonna be ok? Well is she? Is she? Come on, baa-chan."

"Will you keep quiet?" snapped the woman.

The corner of the girl's mouth contracted into a small smile, although she doubted the figures could see it beneath her breathing mask. The amusingly annoying boy sparked something in her recollection, clarity returning to her eyesight as well. Of course she knew who these people were. And that meant she knew where she was, as well.

She had made it home.

"N-Na…N-Naruto…?"

The two blondes, who had just been glaring at each other, immediately turned to the injured girl below them. Naruto held onto his teammate's bandaged left hand, squeezing it gently.

"I'm here, Sakura-chan," he said softly. "You're safe now, don't you worry."

Sakura mumbled something, but the blonde cocked his head to the side in response. "Baa-chan, can't we move this mask already? I can't understand a thing she's saying."

"I need to ensure it is safe for her first," answered the medic, a hint of irritation in her voice. "Sakura," she said kindly, "do you think you're strong enough to breathe on your own now?"

Sakura nodded weakly. Tsunade unfastened the strap behind the girl's head and lifted the plastic mask off her face, clicking the breathers off as well. Sakura wheezed slightly as she took a deep breath on her own.

"There 'ya go," said Naruto heartedly. "Now doesn't that feel loads better?" He gave her a bright smile.

She reciprocated as best she could and made an attempt to sit up, which she later regretted. Just as her muscles contracted, her abdomen exploded with a burning pain. Her arms were completely useless to support her as she plopped onto her back, the area stinging slightly on impact.

"Sakura-chan!"

"You shouldn't get up, Sakura," said Tsunade firmly. "Your body is not nearly strong enough to handle movement just yet. Here…" The sannin clicked a button on the side of the bed, causing the front of the cot to arch forward so that Sakura was now in a sitting position.

"Th-thank you," she rasped, her voice lacking use for some time. But exactly how much time had passed? "How long have I been asleep? What happened?"

"You've been unconscious for a little over two weeks now," answered Tsunade gravely. "And as for your last question…we had hoped you could be the one to tell us." Sakura looked at the woman questioningly. "You're the only person who can tell us what exactly went on in that forest."

"Y-Yeah, Sakura-chan," said Naruto, apprehensive and uncharacteristically somber. "All we know is one minute, me, Sasuke and Ino were kickin' these six ninjas' butts, a-and the next we heard this huge explosion in the forest. It sounded like a huge paper bomb went off or something. It took us a while, but we finally beat those ninja and tracked down where everything was going on. A-And when we did…we…we…" Naruto clenched his fist tightly, his body shaking with suppressed fury. "Then we find this creep running a sword through you…"

The blonde paused and took a deep, calming breath to regain his composure. It irked him to no end as he recalled the sight he saw when he came to Sakura's aid. Her body was broken, mangled. His sweet teammate did not deserve such treatment. But his anger at the atrocity done to her did not compare to his fury with himself. He was supposed to protect her. Always. But instead…

The boy inhaled his last bracing breath before he continued, his expression temperate once again. "You were so beaten up, Sakura-chan. I-I got so scared. Then me 'n Sasuke took out that Aoi guy with my rasengan, but Sasuke got really hurt too. And we couldn't move you, so we sent Ino for help. She found Hinata on the way to the village, and the medical core brought you and Hinata back here."

Sakura took in the information. "And Hinata's okay? A-And Sasuke?"

"It took a day to pump the sedatives out of her system, but Hinata is doing just fine," said Tsunade reassuringly. "Sasuke has also made a full recovery; a few days' rest in the hospital was all he needed. But what _we'd_ like to know now is what happened to _you_."

Sakura lowered her eyes, shifting her gaze away from her onlookers and towards the window on her left. There was a steady stream of golden rays sparkling through the glass. It must have been mid-morning, she guessed. "What happened…to me…"

Her memories before she lost consciousness were currently so hazy, and she struggled with herself to recall everything that had taken place. The thoughts containing the information she needed felt so sparsely scattered within her mind, close yet far away…like every time she came close to grasping one it vaporized into nothingness.

Naruto's cerulean eyes watched his teammate with concern, sympathy etched in every feature of his face. He reached for her hand once again, but was interrupted, "Saku-"

"C-Could you tell me the extent of the damage?" asked Sakura hesitantly. "I mean…e-exactly how badly hurt am I?"

"Sakura-chan," said Naruto, "a-are you sure you're ready to take all this in? I mean…" His voice trailed off, his expression indicating that perhaps _he_ was the one who was not prepared to get a full account of Sakura's injuries.

The battered kunoichi tore her eyes away from the window to her teammate and the Hokage. "I need to hear this. I…want to remember. I-I _need_ to…" She did not like the idea of having such splotchy gaps in her memory. It made her feel uneasy, even if her instincts told her that this knowledge would do her wellbeing more harm than good.

Naruto nodded weakly in defeat while the medic folded her arms and frowned, her expression grim. "You were in really bad shape, Sakura…it's a real miracle you survived. You have your healing ability to thank for that, I am certain. Your left cheek was burned…"

_A fiery punch flashed across her mind._

"…but it's healing nicely so long as we keep it bandaged. Your 3rd and 4th ribs were broken…"

_A loud gut-wrenching crack accompanying a kick to her chest. _Sakura gritted her teeth.

"…but we were able to reduce it to a fracture. We found gashes on your back and left arm…"

_Glass…a wind-enhanced blade…whipping._ Her bandaged left arm stung as she fruitlessly clutched at the sheets.

"…which became infected but we were able to fight off the infections and the flesh has regenerated completely." Tsunade paused as she assessed Sakura's countenance and continued, inhaling deeply. It was almost like this recounting was hurting her as well, although her voice did not betray this as she adopted the detached tone of a well-experienced medic. "Your hands, however, are a different story. You sustained third degree burns on both, but we've been able to restore most of the burnt tissue."

_An approaching blast of lightning shooting towards her._

"You will require a couple more healing sessions before you find you can move them with relatively little pain. The same thing goes for where your thigh and abdomen were impaled."

_A deeply embedded kunai, and a yellow-masked ruthless rogue with a sword._

"Most of your skeletal muscle tissue sustained damage from what looked like a high voltage electric shock."

_A terrible surge of electricity. _Her body shivered.

"You will therefore find some soreness and muscle weakness, and you'll need therapy to completely regain your muscle tone. As for your right forearm…"

_A slender hand roughly grasping her own. _Sakura's eyes widened in recollection.

"… your radius and ulna were snapped completely in two, but we have been able to reduce the break to a fracture-…Sakura?"

Tears were rolling silently down her expressionless face, her breathing rate resetting to a quicker, more panicked pace. "Sakura-chan!" called Naurto with concern. "Sakura-chan, you all right?" The boy felt beyond helpless as he stepped backwards and watched one of his closest friends crumbling under the weight of her resurfaced memories.

Tsunade pressed her index and middle fingers on Sakura's forehead, the digits humming with the steady flow of green glowing chakra. The girl closed her eyes, forcing the last of her tears away as she allowed the feelings of calmness that begged for entrance to spill through her. Her lungs quieted to their usual rhythm of inhalation once again, and Sakura re-opened her eyes. "Better?" asked the medic.

Sakura's gaze strayed to her lap. That was the extent of her response.

Naruto stepped toward her but said nothing. He bit back his lower lip, struggling to suppress the emotions that threatened to explode within him. He had to remain calm…for Sakura's sake. Tsunade's outward calmness was a lot less strained as she narrowed her eyes, assessing the girl the way a medic of her caliber would. _She got a panic-attack that severe just from recalling the incidents in the forest. Sakura…just what exactly were you put through back there?_

"Naruto," began Tsunade, her eyes still on the kunoichi, "please go and alert Sasuke of Sakura's wakening. I'm certain he would like to hear the good news."

"R-Right…I'm on it." The blonde spared his teammate one last look before exiting the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

There was silence.

"Sakura…"

The girl continued to stare at her lap.

"Sakura…are you all right?"

The girl inhaled a bracing breath. "I'm fine," she responded unconvincingly. "…or at least…I will be fine…eventually." She continued to avert her gaze from the sannin, preferring the whiteness of her hospital sheets instead.

"I know this may be a bit difficult," began Tsunade, her voice as empathetic as her short temper would permit, "but I need to know what happened on your last mission. The safety of the village might depend on it."

Sakura slowly turned her head towards her left and away from Tsunade, her eyes focusing on three small blue birds chirping happily at the windowsill. Taking a momentary pause to sift through her tangled ball of memories, she began. "The mission was a fake. There was no stolen scroll. The real client was the one who orchestrated all this. And…and it was my fault that she was able to do it."

One of the blue birds at the sill hopped away from its group and glided toward a branch on a neighboring tree outside the window. "Hm…yes Ino did inform me that you all had split up. I don't think I need to tell you why that was a mistake, Sakura."

The chuunin gritted her teeth, fighting back her tears of guilt. "I overestimated our abilities, taking the fact that it was only a D-ranked mission that erring on the side of extreme caution wasn't necessary." Her words of admitted failure burned in her throat as she spoke. Her inadequacies nearly cost her friends their lives, after all.

"We're just a band of rookie ninja," she continued. "There are many shinobi out there much more powerful than we are. I assumed all my plans would work flawlessly, and I didn't account for unexpected occurrences." The solitary bird sitting on the tree branch suddenly dashed from view, just missing the claws of a pouncing orange cat. "I…I was a terrible captain…" she whispered.

Tsunade sighed, placing a hand which Sakura could not see on her hip. "Admittedly, you were a bit reckless. Team leaders must always account for uncertainty, and balance between caution and action. But you are still young, Sakura. Learn from your experiences and move on. There is a reason you were promoted to chuunin. Your powers of analysis must not be put to waste. Otherwise, you will be selfishly jeopardizing your teammates, not helping them"

Sakura winced at the Hokage's words and somewhat harsh tone. Despite the fact that Sakura knew this was necessary, a scolding was the last thing her declining self-esteem needed. And what was worse, she was being reprimanded by the same woman which a corner of her mind screamed at her to resent.

Tsunade must have known all about Sakura's family roots, and had hidden it from her deliberately. She was family, yet had shown no inclination to treat the orphaned girl differently from any other ninja in the Hidden Leaf. She was the last family Sakura knew existed. The fact that Tsunade felt no inkling to even attempt to fill the void in her heart from her parents' continuously missed presence made her feel a little hurt, a little betrayed, a little rejected…and a little upset.

"I understand, Hokage-sama," she muttered dispassionately. "Shall I continue?"

Tsunade removed her hand from her hip. "Please."

"After Hinata and I extracted the scroll from the enemy, we were ambushed and I found myself in the enemy's safe house. Hinata was unconscious. I later managed to escape and made it part of the way home while supporting her. When we got far enough, I left her with a water clone to get her as far away from the enemy as possible while I stalled them. _This_…" Sakura looked her injuries over. "…was the result."

"Hmm," replied Tsunade, a pensive finger on her chin. "And were you able to determine the enemy's motives?"

Sakura's face hardened in response to this question, her eyes returning to her lap. "They were after…one of us; badly enough that they sent an agent to Hoshi-hime's party to confirm that we were there and on our way to the next mission. I recognized one of the ninja who had captured us was also at Hoshi-hime's party." Sakura recalled the presence of Idate at both events.

"I see," answered Tsunade, in a hushed tone. "This is quite disturbing. It implies that these ninja must have connections in the Hidden Leaf."

"They most likely have connections in other lands…Hokage-sama," commented Sakura. "I have a feeling these rogues even knew about the surprise attack on Hideyoshi-hanshu's estate as well." The eerie warning of an impending attack which Idate had given her during the dance they shared at the party appeared in Sakura's mind_._ "…but I can't say for certain."

"Yes…that's quite disturbing indeed. These ninja must be more powerful and organized than I thought. And who exactly were they after?" inquired Tsunade. "The Byakugan?" Sakura shook her head but said nothing. "Then that only leaves…" The blonde sannin allowed her voice to fade as she pondered this, eyeing Sakura with both awe and concern.

The girl refused to meet the woman's gaze, her lowered eyes holding no emotion, only defeat.

"Sakura," said Tsunade, both softness and gravity interspersed within her tone, "why were they after you? Can you tell me anything about the enemy? Anything at all? Were they in cahoots with Orochimaru?"

"I…I don't know. I don't think so. She…she just said she wanted me," admitted Sakura, almost shamefully. "She believes I have special abilities that she's interested in. She didn't tell me why…"

"She?"

Sakura nodded. "Most of those ninja were in masks, but I can describe two of them. One was a boy about my age named Idate – brown hair and dark eyes. The other…a woman…she was tall, slender, white hair and sky-blue eyes. She said her name…was Kagura."

For the first time since they were speaking, Sakura shifted her eyes towards the Hokage, evaluating her first impressions on hearing the woman's name. Tsunade's expression remained impassive, however Sakura could tell her posture had stiffened some.

"I see," she answered, her eyes cast to the side as she was lost in thought.

"Ts-Tsunade-sama…" began Sakura. She observed the sannin wearily for a moment, her lips parting to speak but her voice hesitating to produce any sound. "…you don't happen to know who-"

"I will require more specific details from you of your encounter," she interrupted, shifting toward the exit. "But after your recovery."

Sakura's eyes glistened with slowly forming tears as Tsunade began to make her way to the door. _I should have known…even now, she won't tell me. She won't even admit to what she knows. Doesn't she understand how much it's killing me not knowing everything? _Sakura bit her lip. _I-I wasn't expecting a dramatic proclamation, but __**some**__ information would have been nice. Even some indication that she actually cared…a hug…a pat on the shoulder…a touch of the hand…anything…_

"I have assigned Shizune to see to your healing sessions personally," she continued, opening the room door. "Get some rest and take things easy, all right? You've been through too much physically to allow yourself to become affected emotionally as well. You are safe from her here, remember that."

The Hokage's gaze unknowingly lingered on Sakura's averted one before she took the final step out of the space and closed the door gently behind her.

Sakura gave a pitiful sniff, holding back the torrent of tears she was on the brink of shedding. She turned back to the window on her left. _I hate this…it hurts…it hurts so much not knowing. A madwoman is after me, and I don't even understand why. _The petal-haired kunoichi gritted her teeth in anguish as she dimly remembered something about Kagura having attempted to capture her as a child.

_If I had succeeded in snatching you away when you were still a baby, I would have been able to prevent your parents from corrupting you with this love and friendship nonsense…_

_And mom got in the way of that…b-but how? _She straightened at this thought. _Did Mom know Kagura before? Is that how she knows so much about my parentage? Did Mom tell her? Who is this Kagura person anyway? And why is Mom involved? Why is there so much I don't know about my own family? _She punched the mattress with her unbroken left forearm in frustration. Her arm continued to give an unpleasant throb as she continued to press her injured flesh into the cot to spite herself and her weaknesses.

She was lost.

She had no answers to the questions that burnt within her and created a smoky haze over the vision of her family. She had not known of the implications of her Haruno blood before Tsunade had briefly explained it to her weeks ago. And now she finds that there was also an entire facet of her mother's line that she had never even known existed. She shuddered at the thought of what else lay before her that was unknowingly unknown as well.

She was incompetent.

Her recklessness and lack of experience nearly led to the deaths of her dearest friends. Had Naruto and Sasuke not been as capable as they were, they along with Ino and Hinata would have surely been dead. And she…she would have awakened in some dank place, a prisoner indefinitely.

She was afraid.

The persistent sting of her right arm reminded her of the sinister chakra Kagura had poured into her body on that day. What had been the woman's intent for that? She glanced at the area, the skin that lay beneath concealed by medical tape. She shook her head, as if trying to also shake off the fear that was ebbing its way into her consciousness.

She was…alone.

Tsunade, the last living relative she probably had, had abandoned her. Was she that undeserving of the answers that might quell the storm of unsettling thoughts that plagued her trouble-laden mind? She had just barely turned fourteen years old; she was a child. Were children not still entitled to some kind of parental protection and guidance? Had she not suffered enough in life on her own to have someone, _someone_, ease her burdened heart just once? Just this once?

_No…_she mentally answered herself bitterly._ Why should this be any different from what I've faced before? I'm alone…I've always been alone…and I always will be…_

The quiet opening of a door interrupted her thoughts. She did not turn to see who her visitors were, but as they slowly walked in she recognized the two all-too-familiar chakra signatures that alerted her to their presence.

"Sasuke…Naruto…" Her voice was quiet and uncharacteristically lackluster, and the boys could feel the defeat etched into every syllable of their names. They froze in place as they awaited her to speak. "Listen," she continued in that same dreary tone which intensified their worry for her. "I…appreciate your coming here to see me and everything but I…I just need…some…time…okay? You…understand what I mean…right?"

Her teammates looked at each other knowingly, although this was missed by Sakura who still had her gaze fixed outside the window. "Yeah…" answered Naruto just as quietly. "We get it…"

The door had shut softly, however to Sakura's surprise she subsequently heard two pairs of footsteps make their way around her bed. Orange and blue crossed her field of vision in front the window before they settled into the two chairs that stood at her bedside on her left. The kunoichi curiously turned to her best friends, who were currently also looking out the window. "Guys…? What are you-"

"You said you needed time," Sasuke interjected, his onyx eyes not shifting from the window.

"…you never said anything about needing space too," continued Naruto, turning to face Sakura's bewildered emerald with his radiant cerulean eyes as he gave a good-natured grin.

Sakura blinked back in astonishment, then lowered her head to her lap. She stared at her sheets for a moment before a small smile graced her lips. _What on earth was I thinking…as if these two would ever leave me alone?_ She turned back to her teammates, both of whom were looking out the window. The three little blue birds from earlier had rejoined at the windowsill and were singing happily and harmoniously together.

_Naruto…Sasuke…thank you…_

* * *

**There won't be too much action going on over the next few chapters, not with our heroine all broken like this...just giving you all fair warning. All the characters have been through quite a bit over the last few chapters, and of course that means exploring some more character development! Yay! I'm also going to flex my fluff muscles and try to give you guys a bit of romance as well. This is new territory for me though. And I am absolutely terrified.**

**A few comments...**

**The fight between Naruto, Sasuke and Aoi is pretty much identical to what happened in the fillers of the anime. I'm referring to the mission in the Land of Tea. For those unfamiliar, all you need to know is that Sasuke weakened the "Sword of the Thunder God" with his chidori, but then got hurt real bad. And Naruto finished him off with his rasengan, shattering the sword in the process.**

**IMPOTRANT NOTICE****: I am in the process of re-writing my earlier chapters, particularly Chapters 1 through 21. This unfortunately means that I probably won't be able to update this with new material for...a good while. I'm so sorry everyone, but this is just something I really want to do. There won't be any major changes to the plot, so you do not need to read my re-writes if you don't want to (although I strongly encourage it...they are so gonna rock!). Major changes will involve chracaterization and writing style. Basically, I need to make the beginning more believable. **

**If anyone has ideas they'd like to share on where I fell short in my earlier chapters (particularly chapters 1 to 21 since I view those as my worst work), please PM me. I've got some ideas of my own, but I'd really love to hear your take on what might need adjusting. Thanks!**

******I hope you enjoyed this chapter! (I'm silently wondering if anyone picked up on my metaphoric imagery with the three little blue birds.) Your thoughts on my update would be much appreciated!**


	37. It Comes in Many Forms

******Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

******POSTED: 4/20/2012**

******A/N: Anatomically, the arm is the area from your shoulder to the elbow. The forearm extends from the elbow to the hand.**

* * *

_**It Comes in Many Forms**_

Sakura's days of recovery blurred together through her stint in the hospital. She was assured she could begin walking in another day or two, but the girl was in no hurry to escape the sanctum of those white walls. She was creeping into an antisocial funk since the attack, she could feel it. There was no inclination to entertain any visitors apart from her own teammates, which suited their preferences just fine. There was hardly a waking moment that she found herself without them, her days filled with Naruto's flamboyant recountings of his training or the silence that was Sasuke's company.

But today she had to forgo all of this. It was time to take her first steps toward civilization, and it would start with a conference – she had to confront her team from the last mission. Something important needed to be said. While Naruto was off gathering the ninja, the girl waited in the room alone.

As she sat, Sakura did her best to submerge the pangs of bitterness that arose when thoughts of Kagura or Tsunade wriggled into her psyche. She decided days ago that she had wasted enough mental energy considering Kagura's betrayal, beating herself up over not seeing the signs earlier, wondering over her cryptic words about wanting her, feeling angry at Tsunade for abandoning her, agonizing over what made her so unworthy of being acknowledged as family by the sannin...and the list went on and on. There was only so much pain and confusion she could subject herself to before she finally felt numb to her situation. But every now and then...

Her hand flitted to her right arm, holding the burning area as another sharp sting subsided. The frail girl's gaze fell on the bandaged area of her arm, recalling the source of this pain that gripped her.

_Kagura moved her arms behind her to form her hand seals. The woman then pressed her palm against Sakura's arm, funneling a steady stream of chakra into the girl's body._

Sakura shuddered as she remembered the subsequent wildfire of pain which had scorched her body afterwards. How could her plan to stop thinking about Kagura-related events work if the intermittent stings up her right arm wouldn't leave her alone? Despite her cast from her broken forearm being removed, her caretakers never redressed that particular injury, so she never saw what lay there. The dulling pain that now prickled from it was teasing her to peer underneath the white medical tape.

Weaseling her fingers into the bandage, she slowly unwrapped her arm. She hesitated as she got to the last layer, inhaling a bracing breath before finally abandoning the wrappings completely. Her lips parted in a soundless gasp as her eyes met the skin that had been concealed, her fingers itching to touch the area but her fear holding them back for the moment.

Etched into her flesh, there was a symbol. Two dark crescents rested midway up her arm, appearing like a waxing and waning moon facing back to back. A wispy line connected the two moons, the line gradually thickening as it went from one to the other.

No longer able to restrain it, the pinkette extended her shaky index finger onto the area, cringing as she retracted the appendage. Even with her fingers bandaged, she could feel the ice of her stained flesh. Disgust quickly replaced awe as she stared at the dark marking, a product of another's chakra residing within her.

What did this mean? What was the purpose of this marking? The memory of Sasuke enveloped by his Curse of Heaven flashed across her mind. Had she been given some sinister power as well? Neither Tsunade nor Shizune had ever even broached the subject of this marking. Were they unconcerned about it? Or perhaps they did not wish to worry her while her frame was still weak?

Before she could press further, the handle to her room swiveled with a metallic click. Her heart sprang within her ribcage as she fretfully concealed the new symbol with her free hand before any of her visitors could notice. Neji appeared first, Naruto and Ino at his heals.

"N-Neji-san," blurted Sakura, losing subtlety with the surprise in her voice. "You're here. A-And Ino-san you made it."

The Hyuga grunted in affirmation while Ino began her exclamation. "Sakura! Sakura, I can't believe this happened to you! Are you hurt? Are you in pain? Has everyone been treating you well?"

"Y-Yes," she fumbled. "I mean, I've been treated fine. The pain isn't that extreme anymore."

"Not as extreme? Oh that just means it's still there and you don't want to complain about it," fretted the blonde. "They should be doing more for you here."

"I'm okay," maintained Sakura, casually pulling the white sleeve of her hospital gown downwards as she hugged herself. For once in her life she was grateful for the existence of oversized hospital robes, the garment successfully concealing the mark. "I didn't ask you guys here so you could worry over me."

"You're so ridiculous you know that? We've all been worried sick-"

"Now isn't the time, Ino," chastised Neji. "Clearly Sakura has been through a great deal."

"But Neji-"

"I believe she would appreciate if we allowed her room to approach us when she is ready rather than hover over her affairs. I trust she knows to seek out her friends when she needs them."

The Yamanaka relented to his reproval, but Sakura couldn't help but wonder at his statement. She was grateful for his defense but there was something about his tone. Something that felt like he somehow understood something beyond the blonde's knowledge, though she couldn't quite read him. And apart from that...had she just imagined the flicker of his eyes to her arm as he finished speaking?

"So Sakura-chan, why're we all here anyway?"

"Well first, um, where's Hinata-san?"

"She is training with Hiashi-sama," answered Neji, "so she sent me in her place. I hope that is all right."

"I don't mind it," said Sakura, trying to hide the dip in her mood. Hinata was the one she needed to speak to the most. "And Sasuke?"

"I don't know where he ran off to," grunted Naruto. "He knew we were all supposed to meet. He said he'd show up, the jerk. I'm sorry, Sakura-chan."

"No no, it's okay. He's been wasting enough of his time sitting in here with me as it is. I don't blame him, or you, Naruto."

"Yeah well he still shoulda come."

"He's done enough for me-"

"But Sakura-chan-"

"-and I don't deserve anything more," she finished. "From either of you, got it?" They exchanged looks, their eyes heavy with unspoken emotion that only pried away from each other when the room window suddenly blew open with a bang. "You've both been acting so strange," she sighed later.

"Perhaps it should be left opened," said Neji, as Naruto motioned to close it back. "The room reeks of antiseptic. Some fresh air would be pleasant."

The blonde shrugged, taking a place against the wall. The small frown hanging on his face was a stark contrast to the effervescent energy that adamantly rolled off of him on his visits. The cheer he forced was what Sakura had considered so bizarre about him lately. That and his intolerance of Sasuke. Well...his _more-than-usual_ intolerance anyway. As for the Uchiha, his strangeness swung on an entirely different field.

"I called you all here to talk about our last mission," started Sakura finally. "I have something to say and I'd really appreciate it if you hear me out till the end."

The petal-haired chuunin easily read the curiosity that flashed across her teammate's face and she knew what he was thinking. He had been badgering her about the details of her experience in that forest for days without success. And now she was finally going to openly talk about it around him. He also knew this would be difficult for her. If only he could appreciate how difficult the nature of her words would really be.

"Things went south on the last mission, that much I'm sure you all realize. With being stuck in this room, I've had a lot of time to think about what happened and...I was wrong. On the mission I did everything wrong. It was a trap and my carelessness made you all vulnerable to it, especially Hinata-san."

"What are you going on about?" said Ino. "You seriously didn't call us all up here just to..." The grief on the pinkette's face silenced her interruption. She had never looked at Ino so sincerely.

"I split us up prematurely," she continued. "I see that now. Teams should never be divided so sparsely unless absolutely necessary. Ino-san, what I did to you was worst of all. I left you all alone in the forest to execute an ambush. If you got hurt like me..." The girl fisted a tear from her eye. She couldn't afford to break down now.

"And Hinata-san...I placed her in so much danger, over-relying on her Byakugan when I should have acted more cautiously. You must apologize for me, Neji-san, please. I'd be on my knees begging forgiveness if I could get up. They were really going to kill her. They were going to kill all of you. If it weren't for Naruto and Sasuke-"

"Can you stop this right now?" huffed Ino. "Please just stop."

"Part of being a leader means owning up to your mistakes," she answered flatly. "I'll have to tell Sasuke this too. I forced him into a situation that got him injured. My only saving grace is that none of you died. I'm truly sorry I couldn't have been better."

"You're so dense, Sakura," shook Ino, sorrow and anger emanating from her sky blue eyes. "_You're_ the one who nearly died on that mission. The only one. But you can't acknowledge that tiny detail can you? I bet you think none of us would feel a shred of guilt about any of it. Like you deserved it or something."

"I was the leader," she retorted. "Anything that happened was a direct result of no one's decisions but my own. Of course I deserved whatever happened to me. Because I chose it, you guys didn't."

"Don't argue with her, okay?" implored Naruto. "Please, Ino."

"And since when are you the go-to guy for calming people down?" continued the blonde. "Even I can see you're walking on eggshells around her. And Sasuke-kun being MIA is no good either. Your squad's really out of whack these days, and I think the first step in getting you guys back in action starts with you, Sakura."

The pinkette shook her head. This was not going as planned. "The whole point of me asking you all here was to make things right. I'm trying to get things back to normal. Why are you making this so hard for me, Ino-san?"

"Because you're going about this all _wrong_."

"May I say something?"

"No," chorused the girls, briskly silencing Neji.

The blonde girl tsked. "I don't know what happened to you on that mission but you're pulling away. Instead of actually opening up to anyone, you're wrapping yourself up in formal apologies. Talking about 'I was your leader.' And 'it's my job to own up to this.' You're more than just our leader, you're our friend. Why's that so hard for you to understand?"

"Just forget it," exhaled Sakura. "You're the one who's never been able to understand a thing about me. You just act like you do."

"But I..." There was nothing left to retort after that. She had done it again, hadn't she? Her scramble toward Sakura's respect and friendship once again only widened the chasm between them. Even with the purest of intentions, why did she always end up causing the pinkette more pain? She couldn't let things settle that way, not this time too.

"Is that all you had to say to us, Sakura?" piped Neji.

"More or less. I just wanted to apologize for everything."

"Then I won't contest you for the necessity of those apologies," he continued. "I was not there, so I cannot appreciate what you all went through. However, I can say that I hope getting this off your chest will only help in your recovery."

She nodded. "Thank you, Neji-san. I appreciate that you came."

_Damn that Neji_, Ino cursed inwardly. How did the Hyuga manage to get in Sakura's amiable graces? Especially considering the way they first met. Surely there was something she could offer too, some words that might coax something positive out of her.

"I-I wanted to say something too," started the Yamanaka, edging forward.

"Don't get near me, Ino-san," said Sakura, eying her cagily. "Please."

"I'm not gonna argue anymore," she added hastily. "I just, I want us to be okay."

"You don't understand-"

"And I promise I'm going to try," pressed Ino, now directly at the chuunin's bedside. "Really_ really _hard."

"You need to get away," warned Sakura, gasping hard now, "I really mean it."

"What's going on? Are you all right? I-I can help." Her hand barely gripped the girl's shaky one before the blonde was tackled to the floor, finding herself being dragged away from the fringes of the hospital bed.

"Get off me, Naruto," squirmed Ino, kicking off the boy before scrambling to her feet. By the time she surfaced, monitors were blaring while nurses skittered into the room, bustling about their charge. Through the throng of white gowns, Ino caught glimpses of the pale pinkette, trembling and thrashing about while the nurses pinned her down. She barely managed to wonder what was happening before she was suddenly whisked out of the room with Neji and Naruto, the door shutting on their exit.

"What's happening in there?" worried Ino. "What are they doing to her? Is she going to be okay?"

"She will no thanks to you," spat Naruto. "She told you to stay away from her, why wouldn't you listen?"

"Well I...I thought she was trying to avoid me...w-wasn't she?"

"She was experiencing a panic attack," concluded Neji, turning to the boy for confirmation. "I was curious, why you stayed clear of her bed from the time we entered. Sakura can't have people in very close proximity to her can she."

The blonde shook his head. "Painkillers numb her enough so that she's fine but ever since they took her off of them we've had to stay away. The medics have to inject her with stuff just so she's calm enough to for them to take a look at her every once in a while. I know she really hates it."

"This is unsettling," said Neji after a pause. "What trauma must she have endured after you separated?"

Ino stared blankly at the door, imagining what terrors she had just stricken the kunoichi with, as those nurses forced pharmaceutical calm to sweep her blood stream. Regret weighed heavily within her as she tore herself away to leave, one parting thought resounding in her mind.

She had done it again.

* * *

He leapt off the ledge, landing cleanly on his feet as he sauntered from the structure in a forced pace of calm. What wracked him now was anything but, though his smooth stride was able to carry him far enough away from the building.

"If you're going to tail me, you could at least try to do it right," he announced, stopping on the empty street. "Even a Hyuga from the branch family should have that much self-respect."

"I didn't follow you from the hospital so we could brandish our clan pride," asserted Neji, eyes boring into the boy's back. "But there is something I would like to call to your attention."

"And what makes you think I care about anything you might have to say?"

"Because that something involves Sakura." He allowed a deliberate pause, the other boy using the time to finally turn to face him, as Neji predicted he would.

"Are you really gonna make me ask? Stop wasting my time and say what you have to say."

Neji smirked at his terseness. "You and I are a lot alike, Uchiha, although in my opinion, I am the more pleasant of the two of us. But if there is one thing we can mutually appreciate, it is the light our ties with our teammates have brought to our eyes. I can tell you care deeply for Sakura, which is why I've chosen to come to you."

"I'll say it again, stop wasting my time, Hyuga. Just say what you have to say."

"I need a question answered before I start," said Neji matter-of-factly. "Why weren't you in the room when your teammates held that meeting earlier?"

"Had things to do. By the time I got there you were all leaving so I did too. And then you followed me over here and started asking me stupid questions, you know, instead of telling me what you came here to say."

"You are a piece of work indeed," smirked Neji. "Even when I go out of my way to assist you, you choose to lie to me. I know you were present, which is why I didn't ask why you did not attend the meeting. I asked why you were not in the room."

"You sensed I was at the window," he interpreted.

"The entire time. In fact, you would have given yourself away entirely had I not stopped Naruto from approaching the window to close it. You had unhinged it so you could hear what was happening inside, very sloppy."

"Naruto's as observant as a doorknob, not that I need to defend myself to you. Why do you care why I wasn't inside?"

"Because I find it peculiar, though Sakura's reaction to your absence supports a theory of mine."

"I'm not interested in your theories. Just tell me about Sakura."

"It's all linked together, Uchiha," assured Neji. "You've been avoiding her, haven't you?"

"You're off your rocker. The dobe and I always make sure she has company."

"But do you speak with her while there?" pressed Neji, an edge in his voice as he stepped closer. "Do you even look at her? Acknowledge her?" The raven-haired boy only grunted. "I believe Sakura feels like a burden to you and Naruto."

"Because you're such an expert on our team dynamics right?"

"She's noticed Naruto's extra care, and how much he avoids displeasing her in any way. Throughout Sakura's entire speech, he didn't object to her ill-placed guilt once. And you? I believe she interprets your aversion to her as resentment."

"Sakura knows I don't think of her like that," he objected. "She knows how I get."

"Can you be so certain? She described you staying with her in her room as a waste of your time. I think she blames the recent strain on Team 7 on herself. Because you are all so occupied with taking care of her that you aren't placing enough attention on yourselves, and it's draining you. But we both know the true reason why her presence is so hard on you, Uchiha."

"You don't know me," maintained Sasuke. "And you don't know Sakura. You think those eyes of yours can read every emotion under the sun. But they fall short when it comes to us."

"Doubtful. But I will acknowledge that I can't know everything. I'm only reporting to you what I see. If Sakura can't let this guilt go, she will never recover from the attack...not _mentally _at-"

Sasuke's hands found Neji's collar before he could finish his thought. "She isn't some head case," he growled. "So don't you dare talk about her that way."

The Hyuga watched him blankly, unfazed through his hold. "Guilt comes in many shapes and forms, doesn't it?"

The Sharingan user released the boy with a curt shove, slipping his hands in his pockets as he stalked off under the afternoon sun.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

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**A/N: It's been months, but my re-writes of Chapters 1-23 are up and I've (finally) gotten to new material again! I highly encourage everyone to give those chapters a read. I think you will enjoy them, plus it'll help you understand any inconsistencies you may detect from this chapter on. PM me if you have any questions. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and I will be updating again soon!**


	38. Sun and Moon

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**POSTED: 4/27/12**

**A/N: Sato Daisuke is a new character I added through my re-writes (in case you haven't read them yet). He's a psychlogist of the Konoha Psychology Department I created. He is usually referred to as Sato-sensei (Dr. Sato).**

* * *

_**Sun and Moon**_

Her evergreen irises surfaced into a dark room. The only source of illumination was the dim glow of the full moon elegantly framed by the window. It was rather cool now, Sakura noticed, as she sat up and hugged herself for comfort. But there was no breeze; the window was shut.

The rhythmic scratching that sucked at the air alerted her to Naruto's presence. The snoring boy was slumped against a chair in the far corner of the room in front of her. Her eyebrows knitted together with scrutiny as she eyed the teen.

"He insisted on staying here tonight," came a voice, answering Sakura's unasked question. "After what happened earlier." She recognized the figure instantly – his tone smooth like velvet, calm yet carrying a feint inkling of irritation.

The girl shifted her gaze to the raven-haired boy seated on her left, his eyes only on the moon. "I remember...I kind of flew into a panic again today didn't I? But he didn't have to sleep here tonight. Neither of you do..."

"Don't be foolish, Sakura," he tsked, keeping his eyes on the orb of light in the sky.

"Y-Yeah...um, sorry..."

The girl hung her head under the disquiet of her thoughts. It seemed she couldn't help but be a further nuisance to her teammates. It was bad enough they wasted their days confined to her room, but now she was forcing them into a restless night's sleep on those hospital chairs. And all because of her weakness, because she had allowed herself to become so affected by the attack that a simple touch would hurl her into an intense state of panic. She didn't deserve their care, their worry. Perhaps they felt the need to compensate for Kakashi's absence, since he had been away on a lengthy mission for weeks now. But still, she didn't deserve it.

"I don't get you," spoke Sasuke, drawing her out of her thoughts. He still didn't face her.

"I-I know it's awful, these attacks. But I've been working with Sato-sensei almost every day to get them under control. They haven't yet, but I promise I'm really trying. You...you really don't have to stay."

He shook his head, holding his chin in his hands as he leaned against the armrest. "He was right, I don't get you at all. And...I'm sorry, Sakura."

She watched him, bathed under the majestic glow of the moon. What had he meant, that he was sorry? She was the guilty party here, the one who was taking so much from them that week. Sasuke had been distant, to be sure, but it wasn't anything she didn't deserve. He didn't need to be sorry for anything.

"I don't understand," she finally voiced. "I've been awful to both of you."

"Sakura..."

A sudden chill ran through her, and she hugged her body tightly against the cold, waiting for more of an answer but he never gave it. Her name seemed to be all the response she would get. Like everything with Sasuke, she opted to discern more through his body language.

To the untrained eye he appeared cool as ever, relaxed into his chair, but his shoulders were squared stiffly. She could always read his anxiety through his upper torso. She moved to examining his face, the features of his pastel visage elegantly etched under the glimmer of the moonlight. It was almost distracting as she watched him, the ethereal glow perfectly complementing him. But as she continued to stare she began to notice other things, more subtle things, the kind of things his mask could never hide from her.

His onyx eyes were sullen, heavier than they usually were. And his thin lips dipped a hair lower than normal; he was frowning. So something was off about him. He was sad...or perhaps upset about something? That seemed to support her conclusion, that he was annoyed at being stuck here with her tonight, unhappy because of her. And without understanding why, she desperately needed for him to be all right again.

"I-Isn't it beautiful tonight?" she said, boldly breaching his barrier of solitude. "The moon, I mean," she clarified. "It's really pretty tonight."

"It's okay I guess," he answered after a pause.

"You don't seem too enthused though," she joked, trying to keep their conversation going. If he was going to stay, the least she could do was make it less of a chore.

"I hate the full moon."

"O-Oh," she said deflatingly. "I'm sorry." A hollow chuckle escaped him, and she eyed the boy with even more confusion. What did he find so funny?

He kept his eye on the orb of light as he considered her. It appeared Hyuga Neji may have been right about his team's situation after all. Sakura was certainly an earful of apologies tonight. Did she really think he could resent her for getting hurt? Not to say he hadn't been resentful that week. But his teammate wasn't the target of his disgust. How could she not see that?

"And...why do you like it?"

It took a moment before Sakura realized he had been addressing their conversation topic. It was so unlike Sasuke to ever attempt to feed a dialogue. "My father used to tell me stories."

"And they were about the moon?"

"One of them was," she began, finally able to relax into the conversation. "We used to take hiking trips in the mountains near the Hidden Stone Village, and we would lie down in the fields and look up at the stars on clear nights." Her lips gently curled into a nostalgic smile. "It was amazing, the way the sky looked from so high up. On one trip, one of the stories was about the moon and how it came to be what it is today. D-do you, um, want to hear it?"

The chair Sasuke was sitting in screeched in the silence as the boy shifted his chair around. When his face finally came to meet hers, his lips pressed into a smirk. "I think I could go for a story. You any good at telling them?"

The petal-haired girl scoffed. "I consider myself a bit more than just good at it."

He gestured his hand playfully towards her to continue. "Then by all means..."

"Hmph." She shifted her body in its place so that she was more comfortably facing him. Clearing her throat with an air of importance, she began:

"This story dates back to the days when the world and ninjutsu alike was still very young. It was the time when the spirits of the core elements – Fire, Water, Earth, Wind and Ether – lived freely amongst man. These spirits were the sources of nature-manipulation jutsu, and they all lived harmoniously together, maintaining balance. Although these beings were manifestations of elemental energy, they were a lot like regular people. They had personalities, likes, dislikes, and even feelings.

There was no greater example of this dichotomy than the relationship between Fire and Water. At the time, Fire resided within the magma of the earth's core and Water lived in the seas. They were essentially polar beings, complete opposites. But this did not stop them from developing the deepest affection for each other, and the two spirits fell in love."

A dry cough suddenly disturbed the air, disrupting Sakura. Her body jerked at the sound, her heart thumping with surprise. "It was just Naruto," said Sasuke dryly, throwing an exasperated glance at his noisily sleeping teammate. "Please continue."

Sakura sighed, pressing her hand over her chest to steady her heart. "R-Right," she stuttered breathlessly.

"So the Fire and Water spirits were wholly and desperately in love with each other, and their union of magma and the sea led to the expansion of the continents. The Earth spirit was content. With her kingdom growing, she could better accommodate the human beings who depended on her. The force of Ether was impressed by the product of their clash of energies, and it spurred him to manifest his power in the more physical form of lightning. However, only the Wind spirit was not pleased. Their unification threatened him. His kingdom of air was the most expansive of the five spirits, and he wished to keep things that way. He even hoped to extend his power to earth by uniting with Water, and expanding his kingdom in the form of ice sheets.

"With these ambitions, the Wind began to plot the removal of the Fire spirit by exploiting the one weakness he knew he had – his burning passion for the Water spirit. And so one day, Wind approached Fire. Wearing his mask of contentment, he spoke extensively about how much his union with Water benefited this land, and how obviously happy the Water spirit was with him. Fire's heart soared at this, boldly proclaiming that he would brave the impossible if it meant making Water happy. This was just the response the Wind spirit was waiting to hear, for after this he gave a solemn sigh.

" 'Indeed that is quite admirable of you,' he said. 'However there are some things in this world that are truly beyond the reach of possibility for even you, Fire.'

" 'What do you mean?' asked the Fire spirit haughtily, not appreciating having his capabilities or his love questioned by the spirit.

"The Wind spirit began his ascent into the sky, calling downwards as he rose. 'I meant no disrespect, Fire,' called the cunning spirit. 'I merely meant that, well not even you can pluck a star from the cosmos.'

"As Wind evaporated into the sky, Fire began to ponder on the spirit's words. He was taunting him. It was a fact that the spirits of the air – Wind and Ether – could freely travel in the spaces above the domain of earth. Their powers extended so that they really could literally pluck a star from the cosmos if they had desired. But being a spirit of the ground, this was one feat Fire was not built for.

"But this fiery spirit was a proud one, and he never backed down from a challenge-"

"Tch, sounds like Naruto," interjected Sasuke, eying the boy from the corner of his field of vision.

Sakura chuckled, joining the Uchiha as she peered at their blonde friend. His leg was making sporadic jerks, likening him to a little puppy in his sleep.

"So anyway," said Sasuke, "you were saying..."

Sakura nodded. "The Fire spirit decided he would prove the Wind wrong, push his limits and brave the reaches of space to obtain a star for his beloved. He released himself from the form of magma and took the shape of a fireball, propelling himself into the sky and toward the nearest star. He did not realize that he was playing right into the hands of the Wind. And the moment he left the earth's stratosphere, the Wind spirit's plan was complete."

"What do you mean?" asked Sasuke, curiously.

"Well you see," continued Sakura, "what the Fire spirit did not know was the restrictions the spirits had with regard to their shape manipulation. Only until Fire attempted to come back to earth did he realize it, but once a spirit had altered their state from one form to another, they could no longer return to their previously held form. Fire had left the 'ground' state of the physical, and entered the 'air' state of the spiritual. And because of that, he could no longer return to earth."

"But why not?" asked Sasuke. "So he left. Couldn't he return and live as a ball of fire?"

Sakura shook her raised finger astutely. "On every planet there are a limited number of forms which can exist while maintaining balance. Fire's return would spin the earth into chaos and bring about the end of humanity."

The raven-haired teen folded his arms, easing back into his chair. He didn't appear to be liking the direction this story was taking. "I still say he should have been able to get back. And if he really loved her, he'd risk anything to be with her. Nothing else in the world should matter."

"That would have been selfish of him, Sasuke," argued Sakura. "How would she have felt if she was the reason for the destruction of mankind? He was ultimately choosing what he felt was best for her. Even if it meant hurting her by his absence."

The boy mumbled in agreement. Sakura had never seen this side of Sasuke before. Despite his normally neutral outlook, the slight pout he wore told a different story. Although he was willing to live with a lot of things in this world, deep down Sasuke actually _liked_ happy endings. In a story where all the elements could be controlled at the whim of the storyteller, it seemed that a happy ending for him was not just necessary, it was expected. Who knew Sasuke was such an idealist?

The petal-haired girl giggled. "No need to get so upset, Sasuke. I haven't even finished telling the story yet."

"Hn," he grunted. "Well then let's hear it."

Sakura shook her head before continuing. "Although he could not take his place back on earth, Fire was adamant on staying as near to Water as possible. So he found a corner of the universe where he settled himself, combining with other materials of space and materialized into a gigantic ball of super-heated gases. Although he was now exiled from the earth, he was determined to continue his role of providing warmth to the land. And thus, the Sun was born."

"Sun?" interjected Sasuke. "I thought this was a story about the moon?"

Sakura sighed. "I'm getting to that, sheesh." For a disciplined ninja, her teammate certainly lacked patience when it came to story-time.

"A group of humans who were studying under Wind about the practices of wind-manipulation had heard of the spirit's plot, and Fire's sacrifice to spare their lives. So out of gratitude, they ventured to the sea and informed Water of what had transpired.

"The Water spirit was overwhelmed with grief for the loss of her beloved. But despite her fluid nature, Water refused to bend to this wicked scheme. She decided that if Fire could not have her, no one would. And so she too released herself into the 'air' state, dissipating into water vapor and floating off into space. In her 'air' state, she still could not cling to Fire's side as she did in her 'ground' state, because it would mean her death. So instead, she took up residence on the place closest to where her Fire proudly burned and assimilated herself into a floating body of rock. From where she stood, she could maintain her role as manipulator of the ocean currents. And so the Water spirit became the Moon."

"So that's the origin of the Moon huh? Don't tell me that's it? There has to be more to the story than that."

"There is, there is" replied Sakura, shaking her head. "And if you'd stop complaining long enough, I might just be able to tell you the rest of it. Though I warn you, it might not be what you expect."

Sasuke folded his arms, curbing his objections as he waited to hear the story's conclusion.

Sakura continued to eye him, almost daring him to say something. When he did not speak, she gave another muffled chuckle before she continued. "Well you see, Fire and Water may have taken themselves out of the equation here on earth, but there was still the matter of Wind's subjects to deal with. Remember, they did betray Wind by informing Water of his scheming after all. The Wind Spirit was furious with the humans. He wanted them to pay. Using his powers of the wind, he sliced every human being on the planet, dividing their bodies and spirits into two separate entities."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Really?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes. According to legend, our ancestors had twice as many body parts as we do now – we had four arms, four ears, two noses...you get the idea. It's because of the actions of the Wind that we look like what we are today. But he did more than give us a makeover."

"And what was that?"

Suddenly feeling parched, Sakura placed her story on hold, reaching to retrieve the glass of water the nurses left out for her. She drank slowly, allowing the cool liquid to gurgle down her dry gullet. Sasuke could not help but notice how thirsty his teammate was, as she painstakingly gulped the entire glass down. She gave a hearty sigh when she was finished, satisfied with the drink. The only sound that came after that was the clunk of the glass as she rested it back onto the wooden table top.

Seconds ticked by...

Sasuke's face remained passive as he stared down his teammate, an innocently blissful expression on her face. He knew what her game was. This was payback for him being so impatient with her before. But he was not about to yield to her ploys. He was a proud member of the Uchiha clan and, so help him, he would not show weakness. No, he wasn't _actually_ interested in the rest of the story...even if his intermittently twitching leg indicated otherwise.

When Sakura finally decided the boy had suffered enough, she inhaled deeply.

"As I mentioned, Wind did more than change our bodies. He split our spirits too, our very souls. With that, he forever cursed the human race to incompleteness. He created in us a longing to constantly search for our other half, the one person in the world that could complement and complete us perfectly. And so, the human race was sentenced to live out our lives trying to find, what the ancients termed, their soul mates. It was a horrible fate, and the Wind was pleased with himself for the punishment he devised.

"This occurrence, however, did not go unnoticed by the spirits of Fire and Water. They took pity on the humans, and vowed forevermore to provide measures to assist the humans in finding their soul mates. And as such, they became symbols of love for the human race. The glow of the full moon, a combination of Fire's light and Water's reflectivity, was a reminder of that. And today the full moon still stands as a beacon hope for all of us to one day know the security of completeness and of love."

Sakura ended with a tone of finality, scrutinizing her teammate's features where he sat.

The boy smirked. "You were right – you're not that awful of a storyteller after all." Sasuke shifted in his seat to allow the bright orb in the sky to meet his gaze as he internalized the story. "I get what you're saying about what the moon represents," he said, still looking up at the ball of light. "But there's one thing I don't get though..." He turned back to his listening friend. "...what exactly were those 'measures' that those spirits took to help the humans find their soul mates? That part isn't very clear. The ending seems a bit incomplete."

"Hmmm..." Sakura screwed her lips together in thought. "Yeah, actually I thought the same thing too when Otou-san first told me that story. I asked him about that too, I think..."

"And?" inquired Sasuke, pressing his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward. "What did he say?"

Sakura stroked her chin in recollection. "I...I don't remember ever getting an answer to it." She closed her eyes, concentrating on the memory of that night. "Yeah, I think he didn't want to tell me."

She re-opened her eyes, chuckling slightly as the memory fully surfaced. "I remember...he got all hot and bothered when I asked. He assured me that the ending to the story was a lot happier than it seemed to be, but that I was too young to understand it just yet." Her smile gradually faded as she recalled the rest of that memory. "He said...he said he'd be sure to complete the story when I was older." A hollow laugh escaped her. "I guess I'll never get a chance to hear it after all, will I?"

The light from the moon was making her eyes glisten more than usual as he watched her. The boy stealthily strode to Sakura's side. Her eyes were averted from his, glued to her lap. "Sakura," he called softly.

She did not respond.

His eyebrows wrinkled with frustration at the situation. He never liked the idea of Sakura ever being in any kind of pain. The past year they spent as members of Team 7 had made him compulsively protective of her. Perhaps that was why these past few days, and even now where he stood, he could barely stand the sight of her.

He couldn't stop picturing the bruises beneath her bindings, the burns buried under her bandages, the previously broken bones bound below her breast. They were injuries he was not able to prevent. And even when he did appear to come to her rescue, it was Naruto who was powerful enough to deal the finishing blow to Aoi. He had been overwhelmed by the enemy's attacks, but his knucklehead of a teammate was able to hold his own in the fight. How could he have let this happen? Why was he still so weak? Surely now, where she sat, there must have something he could help her with...

"Sakura, I want you to trust me."

He motioned his body toward the bed, smoothly settling next to Sakura so that he too was facing the window. "S-Sasuke..." she started fearfully, jerking herself to the side to allow him room. She could feel her heart accelerate. "D-Don't...don't touch me..."

He did not meet her incensed gaze, his eyes fixed on the moon, his body resting barely an inch away from Sakura's. "I always hated the moon," he replied dryly, his expression passive.

Sakura inhaled deeply, focusing on her teammate's voice. He was about to say something important, she could tell. She couldn't afford to thrash about in panic now.

"It reminded me," he continued after several moments' pause, "made me think of that night, that awful night. I hated it. And every time I looked up at a full moon, it was stained red in my mind, soaked in my clan's blood. A red moon, like the Tsukuyomi. But...I don't think I can bear to hate it that much anymore. I can think about something else when I look at it, thanks to you. I can finally let it go just a little bit now."

He turned his perfect features to Sakura, noticing her squeezed eyelids as she continued to pull in air. "Sakura..."

There that chill was again, and she slid her eyes open to acknowledge him. Emerald clashed with onyx, their faces inches apart.

"Do you think maybe you could finally let go too?"

His dark eyes enchanted her. She seemed lost in them as her muddled mind fumbled for a response. The boy raised his hand to the side of her face while keeping it in her field of vision, as if asking her for permission to press against her.

But she was afraid. She did not know how her body would react to his invasive touch. Her eyes reflected that apprehension, but Sasuke's gaze reminded her of other things as well.

He had just shared something with her, upturned painful thoughts for the sole purpose of giving her a piece of himself. It was a small piece, to be sure, but it was one she felt she could hold on to, one that might help her overcome her own reservations, and allow her to regain some control which that attack had torn away from her.

His fingers approached the side of her right cheek, to the small meadow of skin that was not hidden by medical tape. She gasped another breath of cool night air as the tips grew closer to her face until they eventually and finally made contact.

She winced even before her body could register his touch. But the moment it did, her tensed shoulders dipped as she began to relax. His fingers were cold from the chill of the night, yet they still gave her a sensation of pure warmth. Her eyelids relaxed from their tensed state but remained shut as his hand cupped her cheek gently. He continued to caress her temple and the right side of her forehead, all the while his face edging closer to hers.

Her lips, he noticed, were so modestly plump and femininely curved. He could not help but stare at them and admire how perfectly molded they were to her picturesque face. An unfamiliar sensation of panic and excitement bubbled within his gut, fueling his descent toward her.

Before he could register what was happening, their lips were hairs apart. He could feel her hot breath against his skin, as their breaths intermingled with each other after each mutual exhalation. Their synced breaths made him feel connected to her in some strange ethereal way, and he desperately desired to solidify that link. Her skin felt so right against his, as he continued to caress her right cheek. Barely three weeks ago, he had thought she was going to be lost to him forever. And here she was now, alive, her face cupped in his palm just like it had been those weeks ago and his mind could not help but flash back to that moment.

Anger at himself...rage against his enemy...fear of losing her...and...regret?

His eyes were intoxicated by her, his eyelids eventually closing as hers were and he finally took the plunge.

Then his lips met flesh...

...It did not have quite the touch quality he had been expecting. It was soft and smooth, but also broad and flat. It took a few beats before he realized he was kissing her cheek. And seconds later...he was on the floor...

From Sakura's perspective, it seemed like several things happened at once. In one instant, she was blanketed by a world of total calmness as she allowed herself to be taken over by the warmth of Sasuke's hand against her skin. It had forced her body into an uncontrolled state of serenity, a bubble of complete unawareness.

But in the next second, a loud, grumbling snort ripped through her daze. Her head reflexively shifted to the direction her ears had picked up the inhuman grunting. Her eyes took in the sight of Naruto jerking in his sleep, his mouth gaped more open than humanly possible. Meanwhile, her left, un-bandaged cheek felt a soft pressure and sweltering yet soothing heat that overpowered anything she had ever felt before. A blush crept onto her cheeks, and just as suddenly as it did, Naruto's body saluted upright in apparent wakefulness.

Sakura jumped in her seat, inadvertently knocking Sasuke aside as he tumbled off the bed. Not able to register what went on peripherally, she continued to watch Naruto with widened eyes as the boy groggily swayed from side to side, eventually steadying himself as he faced forward.

His expression hardened.

"Nobody steals my Girl Scout ramen-flavored cookies and gets away with it. Nobody! I'm the troop leader and I'm gonna become Hokage! Believe it!"

Sakura blinked back dumbly as the fist pump he gave afterwards stood frozen in the air. His eyes drooped downward once again and his body wobbled unsteadily before he flopped backwards, reclaimed once again by total unconsciousness.

* * *

**Thank you for reading, and reviewing! Feedback would be most appreciated, especially about the heated developments of the story, since writing romance and fluff is pretty new to me. Did it have a natural, realistic flow? Ad what did you think of the story of the Sun and Moon?**


	39. Breaking Point

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**POSTED: 5/12/12**

**A/N: This chapter takes place two days after the previous chapter, in case that isn't clear here.**

**Also, I've been getting some questions about my re-writes and I wanted to clarify about them. I will NOT be re-writing any more chapters in this story passed Chapter 23. I will try to edit some things so that the chapters are more cohesive, but a total re-haul is impossible at this point, due to time constraints.**

* * *

**_Breaking Point_**

He hastened into the Hokage's office, as was always his pace. With so many veteran ninja with post-traumatic stress, depression and even substance abuse to treat, and Konoha so short on psychologists, Sato Daisuke would rush through any errand he had if only to get back to his patients and appointments sooner. But as he faced the squared gaze of their blonde village leader, he knew to curb his rushed tendencies. Tsunade not only deserved his full attention, she commanded it.

"I'm here to report on Sakura-san's state, Tsunade-sama" he began. "As you've requested."

"Yes," nodded the sannin, holding the bridge of her nose. It was too early for her to be this exhausted. Her duties as Hokage must have been wearing on her lately. "It's been an entire week now. Have you made any progress at all with her panic-attacks?"

"Well, actually they're all gone now. I have the full report right here, but as of yesterday Sakura-san no longer appears to display any anxiety on contact with others."

"That's a relief," exhaled Tsunade, allowing the contours of her chair to hug her as she leaned into it. "Excellent work, Daisuke. I knew I'd get results when I assigned you to her case."

"The praise isn't mine," he assured her. "Her attacks seem to have disappeared literally overnight. I was informed she displayed a severe attack when she had visitors two days ago, but when I went in to examine her the following day her anxieties were gone. Odd, but a welcomed blessing nonetheless."

"Indeed. Thank you for your work in all this. Leave her report on my desk on your way out. That will be all." The blonde hunched to her desk and disappeared beneath her paperwork, leaving Dr. Sato to look on.

Tsunade had been his mentor once, over fourteen years ago, back when he had been convinced becoming a medic-nin was his calling. Their time together was brief but enough that he had a good sense of her. The medical genius was short with people, it was just her way. But there was something different about her terseness these days. Subtle, but not subtle enough to escape the attention of an experienced psychologist. It was their short history together that helped him put two and two together.

"You know, Tsunade-sama, it is quite all right to worry for people who are important to you." She detangled herself from her work, eying the brunette jadedly. "Some might even say it's normal." He ended with a grin that earned him a roll of her eyes.

"You know, it's a bit brazen to shrink your former teacher." She returned to her paperwork. "Some might even say it's rude."

"You don't like admitting that you care for Sakura-san," he continued. "I just find it curious. You are related, after all. I do recall you were quite fond of Maya."

"My relationship with Sakura's mother should not and does not affect my relationship with Sakura," she remarked briskly, eyes still on her papers. "I care for her as a Hokage should care for her village shinobi. That is all."

"But what about before you became Hokage? Aren't you forgetting why you agreed to the position in the first place?"

There was a pregnant pause.

"Or rather, ignoring," sighed Dr. Sato. "I've been your window into the happenings of Konoha since your departure with Shizune all those years ago. And when you came back to heal Kakashi-san and Sasuke-san, it was this information that ultimately motivated you to stay. When I had that private meeting with you, don't you remember?"

"A little smug, don't you think," said the blonde evasively. "Crediting yourself as the reason I stayed on as Hokage."

"By no means," he laughed. "I think the credit goes to that protective, caring nature you like to hide from others. That...and your concern for Sakura-san."

"There you go again," she exhaled, finally abandoning her paperwork. "When we met after my return, you informed me of the Foundation's interference with the Psychology Department. I needed to uproot Danzou's hold on an organization I founded. That is why I stayed."

Daisuke shrugged. "One person's interpretation, I suppose. But the way I discovered this information was through Kada Tarou's interference with the affairs of Team 7, and by extension his interference with Sakura. One could argue that your niece played a pivotal role in your decision as well. But knowing you, you'd never admit to that."

"Why are you being so insistent on this issue?" questioned Tsunade, hands clasped before her as she scrutinized her former pupil. "I'm the Hokage now. My reasonings of the past shouldn't matter here in the present."

"But it does, Tsunade-sama," urged the brunette, his light expression now grave. "Because like me, I believe that on some level Sakura-san can sense your pull away from her. And...she's hurting inside."

"That isn't my doing. I haven't told her about me, precisely to avoid causing her any unnecessary pain."

"There's something tearing at her inside, Tsunade-sama," he continued, tone hushed as he drew closer to the Hokage. "I'm not saying you're the sole cause, but hiding the truth from her is a contributor. You haven't told her anything at all about Kagura either, have you."

"Yes that sounded wise," she spat. "Tell Sakura about a woman who attempted to kidnap her minutes after she was born, only to return fourteen years later to try the same trick again. She doesn't need to be burdened by the reason of her parents' move when she's only started walking again yesterday."

There was silence, the air saturated with Tsunade's words. It weighed heavily on Daisuke, the doctor polishing his spectacles before returning them to his face.

"But you _are_ planning to tell her at some point?" appealed Dr. Sato. "Eventually? You must promise me that you will. As your former student."

"I will always do what's best for Sakura," maintained the blonde. "Isn't that enough?"

"Sakura-san isn't the only party concerning me in all this," he confessed, holding Tsunade's gaze as he dropped his report on her desk. "You can't keep using these secrets as an excuse to keep yourself from her. To keep yourself from opening your heart to someone."

The Hokage only tsked, scooping the girl's file into her hands. "Always quick to fix any mess that doesn't concern you," she scoffed. "It's what makes you the perfect psychologist...and a meddlesome colleague." She shot the young man a smirk. "Be lucky I got a soft spot for you. Sakura will be fine, and so will I. Now get out of my office, Daisuke."

* * *

Her posture teetered between stance and gravity, her hands clamped onto the rails of her bed as she tested her legs around the room. As uncoordinated as she was now, the candy-haired girl held onto the encouraging thought that, compared to yesterday, her state was a definite improvement. Indeed, yesterday she was a floundering mess, her body balefully uncooperative from the waist down as Shizune bustled about to help her take her first steps since the attack. They had barely made it out the hospital before deciding against that particular adventure. And if the consecutive impromptu landings on dirt weren't sign enough, the not-so-conspicuous chuckles of passers-by were certainly a helpful hint.

But today, that wasn't going to happen.

Today her stiffened joints were more limber. Today her muscles were better prepared for those neural jolts that sprung movement. Today she was a puppeteer expertly manipulating her deadened limbs to life. Today she would re-join the walking world. Today she would not taste pavement!

"Sakura-chan, uh, what exactly are you doing?"

"What does it look like," she gritted, acknowledging her teammate's entrance with a begrudging glance. "I'm going to be out of this hospital and in my own room by the end of the day, mark my words. "

"But uh, how're you gonna do that when you can't even w-"

"Don't even breathe it," she grated, taking one more tentative step beside her bed. "I may be inclined to floor you."

Naruto only shook is head disparagingly. "You get so grizzly when you overstay in this place. The last time you were in here after the training mission for the chuunin exams I swear you were gonna chew my head off."

"I still haven't ruled that out," called the wobbling pinkette. "So what are you doing here so early anyway? I'll be in physical therapy all morning, don't you remember?"

"Yeah well I thought I'd pop in for a quick visit," answered the boy, throwing his hands behind his head. "I'm a good teammate that way. I check in on you every day. Unlike _him_."

Sakura swallowed at the hostile dip in the genin's voice, grappling hard on the bed-rail. She knew to whom the blonde was referring.

"I'm sure he's just been busy," she said offhandedly.

"That's no excuse for not stepping foot in here since the night we slept over," he grunted. "Or _tried_ to sleep over anyway. Where'd he get off carrying me home like a lump of potatoes in the middle of the night? Stupid Sasuke."

"You're a loud sleeper," she sighed. "He didn't want your snoring to keep me up." 'He also needed an excuse to leave' was her next thought.

She'd be a shameless liar if she failed to admit how many times that night replayed in her head. Sasuke helped wipe away the panic-attacks that gripped her so hard that not even Dr. Sato had managed to expunge them from her. And the serenity that came with whatever he did...she could still feel the heat from his touch on her cheek. The specifics of things had been lost to her during the overwhelming torrent of calm he had offered her. She just knew it was a blanket of bliss.

And in return, she catapulted him to the ground.

What a heartfelt gesture of thanks. It was no wonder the girl hadn't seen glimpse of Sasuke since the incident. The Uchiha was proud, and pride is a creature usually accompanied by a sensitive ego. He was self-conscious and embarrassed now. Why else would he have bolted out of the room with Naruto over his shoulder almost seconds after scrambling to his feet?

"He should do more," continued the blonde. "Be better. He's such an insensitive jerk sometimes."

"Don't say things like that," defended Sakura weakly, climbing out of her chasm of unease. "Sasuke's a tricky person to understand but he always means well, you know that. You've both been at each other's throats too much lately, and it's time you got over it. We're Team 7 after all."

The petal-haired girl released her hold from the railings, daring a journey across the room with each unaided step. It was indeed time for Team 7 to be a functional unit again. And well, the whole may be greater than the sum of its parts, but the quality of those parts still counted for something right?

"H-Hold on until Shizune gets here," piped Naruto. "You're not ready to just go watlzin' around."

"No I think I'm getting the hang of this," she insisted, arms held out as she shakily crossed more than half the space. "I can do this. It's just like riding a bike, only less of a chance of actually _f-falling_!"

Naruto held fast against her body before she plunged too far, the wobbly pair battling against gravity's hold. "I told you this was a bad idea," he said, the girl gripping him tighter as he steadied them. "Take it easy."

"But it isn't fair," she relented bitterly, now realizing her contribution to their stance was only unsteadying them further. She left her body limp as she clung against his orange jumpsuit like a lifeline.

"You'll be back on your feet in no time," he said, ignoring the heat in his face. "You-you just still need a little help first." He stretched an arm to her bedside, making a grab for the metal sphere resting there.

The pinkette eyed the object curiously. "When did that get there? What is it?"

"Oh it's a call bell," announced Naruto proudly, "you ring it to get the nurses to get in here. I can't believe you never noticed it, Sakura-chan. You don't miss a thing." One hand tightly wound around Sakura, the blonde using the other to noisily wave the silver bell on its wiry noose, a high-pitched chime ringing from the space.

"It isn't very...soothing is it," remarked Sakura, a finger to her ear as she winced against the jarring peal of sound. "I can't take much more of it, Naruto. I'm sure I can get back to bed with just your help."

"I don't wanna end up hurting you. If I just keep it up a little longer they're bound to hear-"

"What the hell are you doing?" snapped a figure at the doorway, eyes hard on the wobbly pair in the center of the room. Naruto's flailing ceased almost immediately, the two ninja stilled under their teammate's narrowed gaze.

"What's got you all wound up?" recovered the blonde. "I'm helping Sakura-chan. What were you doin' gone for two days?"

"You think you're helping her flapping that bell around like an idiot?" Hands snatched the unnerving object in an instant, unceremoniously hurling it out the opened window. "Just where did you get that thing anyway? Couldn't have been in here."

"Yeah well it was. Jeez what the hell's your problem, you jerk. What did a little bell ever do to you?"

Sasuke's eyes pierced Sakura this time, an icy wave crashing over her as his dark gaze met hers. There was something there, this unsettling dread she couldn't shake. And suddenly, she felt his reaction was beyond the irritation any rackety bell could ever cause...

"Sasuke," she started, almost choking on his name, "Naruto, why are you..."

But their focus was not on her anymore. Onyx and sapphire impaled each other in a penetrating clash, the rivalry stewing between them over the last year finally brought to a blistering boil under the climate of the week's events.

"What is _wrong_ with you two?" questioned Sakura, unable to earn their attention as they continued to exchange glares. "Cut it out you guys, I'm serious. I said cut it out!" Her body lurched between them, her quaky limbs tripping her to the ground in seconds. Four arms lunged for her before she made impact.

"What are you doing?" said Sasuke, a forced softness in his tone as the boys brought her to her feet. "You shouldn't be moving around without help."

"The proper help," chimed a disapproving voice at the door, a dark-haired woman now bustling about them to get the pinkette back in bed. "You should know better than this, Sakura."

"I'm sorry," she relented, eyes unmoving from her teammates as she addressed Shizune. "I really thought I could do it."

"Well don't get too comfortable," chirped the medic as Sakura settled into her seat on the cot. "We'll have you up and about in no time. That is, if we could get our therapy session started. Boys?"

"Do they really have to go, Shizune-san?" pleaded the girl, desperate eyes on the boys' backs as they sauntered out. The genin easily read the worry in her eyes as they turned to her. There was too much left unresolved these days, too much said and unsaid between them, too many underlying feelings they didn't understand...

"We can pick this up another time," assured Sasuke, always giving her a response that made her question whether he could read her mind. But his heavy gaze still troubled her.

"Yeah, Sakura-chan," smoothed the blonde, "besides the last thing you'd want is an audience laughing at that thing you call walking." He flashed teeth at his joke, but she couldn't call what he did as smiling. Naruto's smiles, his real smiles, had a certain light about them. "We'll sort ourselves out, don't you worry."

Her teammates evaporated to the hallway, the shut door restoring the girl's privacy.

But even with their feigned-cheerful good-bye, Sakura knew better than to trust things. They were putting on airs again. Sasuke had mastered the art of hiding his feelings since childhood, even without the ninja lessons at the Academy. And after this week, Naruto must have been a pro at pretending everything was fine when she was around. Their behavior once evoked guilt in her when she became aware. But now disparity had a competitor in her building frustration with them. A person could only take being treated like a porcelain doll for so long before they eventually stopped feeling like a counted person altogether.

"Everything okay, Sakura?"

She nodded weakly, allowing the matter of her uncooperative limbs to siphon her attention from her unresting thoughts. Her legs flattened against the cot, Shizune running glowing palms over each individual muscle as she made her assessments.

"How soon do you think I'll be able to walk on my own?" asked Sakura after a pause.

"For perfect walking, a couple days at most," answered the medic thoughtfully, the humming spark of her chakra dissipating. "But you should be able to manage on your own between today and tomorrow."

"That soon? But I'm such a mess right now."

Shizune suppressed a chuckle. "Well part of hospital care for shinobi involves special chakra treatments that stimulate muscle tone and blood flow. It prevents muscle breakdown from lack of movement for prolonged periods. That way, weeks aren't wasted with special training for ninja to reacquire their muscle tone, minimizing the time it takes for them to get back on the field."

"So if my muscles are fine, why can't I seem to move right? Putting one foot in front the other has never been so hard."

"That's more of a neurological issue," explained the medic. "Because of our treatments, muscles get so used to responding to chakra that it creates somewhat of a disconnect with the brain. It's an easy fix though. Just a matter of re-training your body to remember what it's been doing for years. You'll see what a steep learning curve it is by the end of the morning. First day's always the hardest."

"And the most embarrassing," grumbled Sakura, recalling the muffled laughter she met on her brief outing with Shizune the previous day. "Okay then, tell me what I have to do next."

* * *

It was a trying morning, but true to Shizune's words Sakura was actually able to journey down hallways now, and without incurring total humiliation either. Some might even say her gait was as decent as a toddler's now.

It was afternoon, hours after their therapy session had ended, but the girl would not rest. If she practiced enough on her own in the hospital, she was bound to recover enough independence by the end of the day. The kunoichi was still adamant on sleeping at home tonight. Shizune's promise pushed every step she made down those corridors.

"_If you're that set on getting out of here then put in as much practice as you can manage today. By the end of it, we'll have you try to make it up the stairway. If you can climb it, we'll discharge you. Sound fair?"_

She still hadn't garnered enough confidence to stray too far from the walls, but she found she could manage most of the time without them. It was a welcomed change, finally making her way around and without accompaniment. It felt like ages since she got some decent alone time, a testament to how devoted her teammates had been to staying with her, she supposed.

Thoughts of Naruto and Sasuke halted her in her tracks. What was she to make of those two? Things between them felt so foreign these days – hostile, but then the rivalry between her teammates was always testy; fragile – but then, they had always been overprotective of her. What was it exactly? What was this change she couldn't describe, and what specifically had triggered it all? Was it really just their annoyance and drain from taking care of her every day this week? She was beginning to wonder if there was more to it...

The pinkette continued down the hallway, her cool fingers sliding against the smooth wall until she reached the end. With a click of a knob, she exited into the hospital stairwell. Sakura's gaze rose to the ceiling, examining the flights of stairs she would attempt to conquer later that day. They didn't look too awful...then again, the village streets didn't look awful either at first, until reality literally belted her with each spill onto pavement the day before. Maybe there was more to these mundane stair-monsters than met the eye...

She took a tentative step onto the first platform, just to test things out. Fingers clamped around the cold metal rails, Sakura rose onto the stair. Her tensed shoulders relaxed when she realized her equilibrium wasn't being seized and destroyed by gravity. So the first stair really wasn't that bad.

She mounted the second step, slow still, and then the third. The girl eventually moved through two floors before becoming a little winded from the effort it took, but she swelled with pride nonetheless. Perhaps she could leave the hospital sooner than she thought?

The flicker of chakra above trapped her attention. It was feint, but she was able to pinpoint it better as she steadily travelled higher. It felt like something was happening on the hospital rooftop. Another floor scaled and she instantly recognized the signatures. Sasuke and Naruto, their chakra wells flaring with increasing intensity as her quiet seconds in the empty stairway trickled by.

The signatures were off, disturbing somehow. Combative. There was an enemy on the roof, images of Itachi and Orochimaru flashing across her mind. Her heart hummed in her ears so loudly she wondered whether it was creating an echo.

And in the next second, she was scrambling up the stairwell.

She earned no points for grace, but with some effort she finally made it to the doorway, the door flying open before she even realized she had swiveled the knob.

A tsunami of flames danced before her vision, obscuring her view of the rooftop. Her flitting eyes soon found Sasuke, poised in mid-air – he must have released this fire jutsu. Was their opponent now buried in fire then? And where was Naruto?

She didn't wait for the sea of embers to dissolve before finding a water source, her chakra reserve purring to life as she resonated with the tank of water standing nearby. Taijutsu would be suicide in her condition, but a well-timed water jutsu could do wonders. She couldn't afford to waver, even if it was the likes of Orochimaru they were dealing with.

With the last of the flames ebbing away, Sakura finally caught sight of her blonde teammate, a whirling Rasengan thrumming in hand. A darted gaze to Sasuke and she found him charging a strike of his own as well, in the form of the ball of lightning known as Chidori. So there were her teammates, ready for war, but...where was the enemy? Was he using some earth-style jutsu to conceal himself in the ground?

It was almost too late when she noticed it, the two balls of light in her peripheral vision, Rasengan and Chidori ripping toward their adversary...toward each other.

Her hand signs were instinctual, adrenaline fueling every flicker of her bandaged fingers and burst of her chakra as she made her move.

"Water Style: Water Vortex jutsu!"

The funnel of water propelled into the space between the charging genin before diverting in two, each wave crashing its target in the opposite direction. The floor thundered under the impact of their joint attacks, the boys tumbling along the ground as they shielded themselves from water and debris.

Sakura held her knees, gasping under exertion. Climbing those stairs were a challenge enough, but having to...

"Just what _was_ that?" she cried, making no attempt to hide desperation and confusion from her voice. Emerald eyes flickered wildly from one boy to the other as they got to their feet, facing her on opposite ends of the roof. "What did you think you were doing, sparring with jutsu that intense? Rasengan and Chidori don't belong in a friendly match! You would have...you could have-"

Her shaking body faltered, knees buckling under exhaustion, under breathlessness, under anger, fear, everything. She didn't register he was there until she realized she hadn't crashed to the ground yet, her gasping form supported by a larger, stronger body.

"Breathe, Sakura," consoled the figure gently – she hadn't heard his voice in weeks. "Everything's all right now. And as for you two..."

"Kakashi-sensei," acknowledged Naruto flatly, unmoving from his end of the battle zone, as was Sasuke on his other end.

"This is not the kind of behavior befitting shinobi of the Leaf," reproached the jounin harshly. "It's high time you two stopped acting like children with your juvenile egos and grow up. The result of your actions can be damaging...on more than one level."

His eye flickered pointedly to the wheezing girl anchored beside him, her widened gaze only on her teammates. Naruto was the closest to looking remotely guilty, the sentiment well masked by his hardened features. Sasuke, on the other hand, was an emotionless slate, his eyes of obsidian piercing Sakura's before he turned his back on them.

"I'm out of here-"

"Not so fast, Uchiha," roared the woman, marching onto the rooftop with Shizune in tow. Her almond eyes bore through the four shinobi in her sights as she tramped to the center of their triangle. "Just what is going on here, Kakashi?"

"A match gone awry," he sighed. "My apologies, Tsunade-sama. This won't be an issue again."

"It better not, sparring on hospital grounds," she growled. "I would have you all suspended if another mission wasn't already in the wings."

"Team 7 has a mission already? I don't think it would be wise to-"

"Only Sasuke and Naruto are slated for this," interjected Tsunade curtly. "You two are to assemble at the Village gate in one hour. Shikamaru can explain the details when you get there. I suggest you begin your preparations now."

Sasuke disappeared without a second glance, Naruto buried in thought where he stood. It was as if he hadn't even heard the Hokage.

"Pleasant as ever, aren't you Tsunade," called the figure sitting atop one of the adjacent water tanks. "It doesn't do well for your reputation as village leader to be barking orders in response to a spat of this magnitude."

"This suggestion coming from someone who turned down the job," tsked Tsunade. "Those boys destroyed hospital property, Jiraiya. I expect the people who passed on such destructive jutsu to act as their disciplinarians. I have enough on my plate."

"Fair point," sighed the Toad Sage. "Hear that, Naruto," he called, "you and I are gonna have a real heart to heart before you head out."

"Yeah yeah," shrugged the boy. He threw his teammate one more look of remorse before leaping off the rooftop himself.

"What a pair," exhaled Kakashi, allowing Sakura to stand more on her own now that she had caught her breath. "You okay now?"

There was a beat before her wayward eyes finally wandered to him. She nodded weakly through her daze. "It's not myself I'm so concerned about...to be honest. What does this all mean, sensei?"

"They were just roughhousing," he answered, and the man instantly read the subsequent tension in her body. She knew it was a lie. "Hey, I promise I'll take care of it," he offered, a consoling hand on her shoulder. "They'll be back to their old selves in no time."

"If you're sure..."

His crinkle-eyed smile faded as he watched her, the weight of his student's troubles heavy in his chest. "I'm always leaving you to break up their fights, aren't I?" The pinkette looked away, acknowledging the other ninja on the rooftop instead.

"Your team really needs to get its act together, Kakashi," reproached Tsunade. "I know you've only just returned on your mission but something needs to be done, and before you head out on your next mission this afternoon." The jounin nodded grimly. "And Sakura, what on earth are you even doing up here?" – the blonde turned to her assistant beside her – "She's cleared to walk stairs?"

"No, Mah Lady," confessed Shizune.

"Then get to your room this instant. You've already exerted yourself too much today."

"I'd like to leave the hospital actually," answered Sakura.

"Out of the question. You couldn't even stand on your own until this morning."

"Shizune-san said if I could walk up a stairway on my own then I could leave. Obviously I've already done that."

"What you did was reckless," said Tsunade, shaking her head. "I will not have you roaming the streets on you own in this condition. I'll have Shizune escort you after her shift here is over."

"But I'm fine," maintained the pinkette. She could feel it, the doubts, the bitterness, the resentment that had been simmering for the sannin this week finally bubbling into an overflow in earnest. This trouble with Naruto and Sasuke didn't help either. "I'm not an ignorant child that needs to be coddled. I'm fully aware of myself."

"News flash, kid, you _are_ a child," snapped the Hokage. "You will do as your elders tell you to."

"I've been on my own for the better half of my life," she laughed. "What gives anyone but me the right to dictate what I do?"

"As a shinobi, you are to obey your Hokage and-"

"This isn't even about a mission. This is about _me_, and my well being is of no concern to you."

"Sakura, for the last time, go to your room _now."_

"You aren't my mother!"

Her cry echoed through the space, halting both of them in their quarrel. Surprise instantly registered on Sakura's face when she realized what she had just done – yelling at the _Hokage_ no less – but there was a beaten corner of her heart that didn't care. Because Tsunade deserved so much more than what she had declared. She wished she had enough courage for words far more scathing, words that better reflected what she felt inside.

Sakura turned away from the critical eyes on her, finally noticing the girl at the doorway to the stairwell. Her sky-blue eyes flickered guiltily away from hers when she squared on her. It wasn't Ino's place to bear witness on that rooftop and she knew it.

"If having me leave with someone else will make you feel better, I'm sure Ino-san wouldn't mind walking me home," suggested Sakura, an imploring look to the blonde genin. She owed her enough to agree to this. "I just can't stand being in this place another minute."

* * *

A suffocating quiet ensnared the pair as they ambled along the village highway. The blonde stole apprehensive glances at her companion as they walked, silently wondering if she was supposed to say anything. What _could_ she say? She had stopped by the hospital to apologize for arousing Sakura's panic-attack the other day, and instead stumbled upon the aftermath of a warzone involving Team 7, which climaxed into Sakura – reserved, sweet, gentle Sakura – raising her voice at the Hokage? Following that up with a simple apology for another, entirely unrelated event seemed mote at this point.

And so she was left in the settling dust of silence, Sakura no doubt buried in her own tangle of thoughts. But she couldn't leave the air so quiet. Mute voids between people always made Ino nervous. Because really, why should two people occupy the same space without sharing some kind of conversation? There was plenty of time when alone to be wordless.

Which lead her back to...what on earth could she _say_?

"I make you uncomfortable, don't I?"

The blonde needed the confirmation of Sakura's glance before realizing she hadn't just imagined her speaking. "Oh, well, why would you say that?"

"You just seem nervous," Sakura answered simply. "And since I'm the only one around..."

"I guess...I just don't know what to say. I never know what to say. Not like me at all, I know."

"Yeah."

And the fog of silence enveloped them once again, clouding each girl's vision of the other's feelings. But Ino couldn't take that for a second time. This was her chance to finally have a heart-to-heart with Sakura. She had been wishing for an opportunity to confront her with her feelings since the chuunin exam preliminary fiasco, but never got the chance. And now, here they were! Sakura had already loosened the cover of their conversation. It was up to her to pry it open.

"There's so much to say," she started, gaze squared ahead as they walked. "Maybe that's my problem. I have too much I want to say to you."

"But why is that?" asked Sakura, genuine confusion furrowing her brow. "I don't understand, Ino-san."

"Like that," sighed the blonde. "Like how much I wish you'd drop that suffix off my name."

There was a short pause, Ino guessing the pinkette must have been considering the notion. That one statement, that one request, represented everything Ino truly wanted from Sakura. She hoped it wasn't as fleetingly ambiguous as it seemed, but well, Sakura was a smart girl. She'd be able to decipher her little metaphor, right?

"I'm...sorry," began the petal-haired girl. "You have to understand how hard it is. I was brought up in Iwa, where titles and formalities are strongly held. I can't just erase my past...I'm not even sure if I want to, sometimes."

Was that a metaphor too? An explanation for her emotionally distant nature. Ino had spied fractions of her past in the preliminaries. In that light, Sakura's attitude was reasonable. She couldn't control what losing all her precious loved ones had done to her; she couldn't just erase them. Maybe it was selfish of Ino, to ask so much from a soul that never became truly whole after her parents' deaths. That accusatory memory still burned in her.

"_You're the one who's never been able to understand a thing about me. You just act like you do."_

And for the first time, she truly understood what Sakura had meant. How foolhardy she was, to insist her friendship on someone and expect her to reciprocate without question, without truly grasping the other person's story. Sakura had been right about her all along.

"You know," started Ino, a content smile splitting across her face, "I'm really glad we could talk. I think I understand you better now."

"But I...I barely said anything."

"That's the thing about you, Sakura," she chirped, "you say so much with so few words. But no matter what, I won't ever stop trying with you. I just know a little better now on how."

A rise of her eyebrow was all the response Sakura could muster as she eyed the blissful girl from the corner of her vision. Ino was prone to strange mood swings, so her shift from anxious to jubilant was unsurprising. It was the why that had her befuddled. Whatever had transpired between them just now must have been one-sided, because Sakura certainly didn't feel any differently about the blonde.

But it also eased the tension between the pair, which was what the pinkette had hoped opening a conversation would cause. She usually made it a point to avoid interacting with the blonde outside of missions. But with the recent climate of her team, she needed help. And as much as she hated to admit it, Ino was the only person in a position to give it.

"So, you've noticed something up about them too, right? With Naruto and Sasuke?"

The girl tsked. "You don't need a Byakugan to see through that tension. It's since that stupid mission."

"I remember what you said...about it being my fault. I was wondering what I could do to fix things."

"I..." Ino bit her lip, eyes downcast. "I never meant for you to think it was your _fault_. It's just when you do things like this, it doesn't really help."

"Things like this?" she echoed. She could see the hesitation in Ino's face. "Please don't hold back from me. I'm begging to hear what you think. Because honestly, I just don't know what to do anymore. As bad as you saw them that day, things got...worse."

"Well it's just, I mean...you focus on yourself too much. Not in a selfish kind of way or anything but it's like...you're so quick to look at what you did wrong, how you messed up, and blaming every bad thing as a result from you. You're so busy with your guilt, I don't think you get a full picture of what's actually happening."

"Oh," was her response, the pinkette internalizing her words. "Then, what exactly is the full picture I'm missing? Why are they acting like this?"

"You had to have been there to understand it," replied Ino, her tone growing hushed. "You had to have seen you, the way we saw you when we entered that clearing, with all your blood...everywhere."

Ino spared a moment to compose herself, the memories of that day inciting a shudder that surprised Sakura. Because she never once considered it...how it must have been for them to find her half-dead, whimpering in the blood-drenched dirt, an electrifying blade running through her.

"As bad as it was finding you, watching Sasuke-kun and Naruto was just breaking. Naruto was hysterical, practically pulling at his own hair but he couldn't go near you either. So Sasuke shoved him to take everything out on that ninja, buy us some time with you. And I...he told me to help with your condition, staunch the bleeding you know. But I just, I couldn't look at you. It took everything I had not to scream.

"And Sasuke-kun...we forced him to be the calm one, me and Naruto so clueless. Maybe it was 'cause he'd already seen bad stuff like this, with his clan murdered and everything. But the way his voice cracked as he yelled orders to us...he was just burning and tearing apart inside all at the same time, I could just tell. And then you...you died."

Sakura stopped in her tracks, widened gaze on Ino though the girl adamantly kept her eyes low. "I, what?"

"You died, Sakura," she gritted out, her lips contorting as if those words were physically bitter on her tongue. "Your heart stopped, and you weren't breathing. Naruto was screeching for us to do something, but I just kept looking away. I couldn't watch. And then Sasuke was yelling too, for you to wake up. But then he stopped, and I chanced a look at what he was doing..."

There was a pause, Ino suppressing a whimper as she scrambled herself together again. Hearing something like this, it made Sakura's heart throb inside, a heart that apparently nearly stopped beating for good.

"Oh Sakura, if Sasuke hadn't had the presence of mind to give you CPR, you would have _stayed_ dead," she sobbed. "He joined the fight after, forced me to take care of your breathing in case you went into cardiac arrest again. Me managing to do at least that is my only saving grace in all this. I hate myself for what happened. And I hate that ninja for what he did to you. I've never hated someone so much."

Hot tears splashed against the earth, Ino savagely scrubbing at her eyes. Her companion could only gape at her, deaf to everything but the sobbing girl before her, and the confession of events that rooted her in a state of disarray.

They waited in silence as the blonde scrambled herself together, Sakura unable to offer anything more than a consoling squeeze to her hand. "That...couldn't have been easy to describe."

"Trust me, in all this, describing it was the easy part." She gave a hollow laugh. "It's not anything I ever want to experience...watching my own teammate die in my arms. You have to understand where they're coming from, Sasuke-kun and Naruto. They blame themselves for letting it happen, and most of all each other."

"But..." Her voice failed as her mind clambered toward understanding, the knot twisting tighter and tighter inside her as it all sunk in. "But they-they can't really think all this? Fighting because they blame each other for what happened to me? It doesn't make any sense at all. It's my fault, _mine_. I have to tell them I..."

Ino clasped onto her hand, drawing in her focus to the here and now. "People don't always act with sense, Sakura, especially when powerful emotions are involved. It's because they love you."

The pinkette pulled away, pushing on their journey to her house, if only to get some more air on their way. "That's not anything I deserve," continued Sakura bitterly, "especially if it leads to something like this. They should be angry with _me_. Hate _me_. Kagura came for me not them."

"W-Who's Kagura?"

"It doesn't matter," added Sakura quickly, "my point is I have to explain it to them. Everything. Make them see who's really to blame."

"I, uh, think you're going backwards here," noted Ino hesitantly. "I told you, didn't I? About not letting your guilt cloud how you see the actual picture."

"So what would you have me do then?"

"Let them _in_," announced the blonde, looking ready to shake the pinkette into realization. "Seriously, isn't that what I've been telling you all this time? Stop shielding them from your feelings because you feel you'll burden them, stop taking it on yourself to fix everything, stop thinking you even can fix everything to begin with. Life and relationships don't work that way. Just be sincere about how you feel, and let yourselves work through the pain _together_, instead of each person pining away in their own little corner, trying to guess what the other's thinking. Everything between people can be solved through open and honest communication, that's my philosophy anyway."

Sakura kept her head low as they walked, weighed down by the brunt of information. "You make it sound so simple and easy."

"Well it may not be easy," admitted the blonde thoughtfully, "but it is that simple. And the Rookie 9's anniversary is coming up next week too. A perfect chance to really bring your team together. I mean can you believe it's already been an entire year since we were placed on our squads? This is going to be so exciting!"

A suppressed squeal from Ino and Sakura knew she had lost her to her fantasy world. Perhaps it was good she didn't make it a habit of hanging out with the Yamanaka. Her moods swung to so many different angles and extremes it made her dizzy. But she had to admit that above all else, Ino could be insightful sometimes. She certainly offered Sakura a useful shift in perspective to consider.

"Ou look at these!" The blonde skittered to a peddling stand adjacent to them, gushing over the jewelry, trinkets and other novelty items on the wooden boards. "This stuff is so cute, Sakura, check it out!"

The pinkette joined her, if only to be polite. She really just wanted to get to bed and sleep off her exhausting day. With Naruto and Sasuke away on a mission now, she supposed she had some time to work out how they could mend things. Still, the thought of those two on a mission together, without her as chaperone, and directly after their grudge match earlier that afternoon...

"What do you think of these earrings?" chimed Ino, draping the accessories on her ear. "The color really brings out my eyes right?"

"I guess so, yeah."

The blonde disappeared to another corner of the stand, leaving Sakura to absently sift through a box of necklaces to pass the time. There was nothing too special about the tangle of neck jewelry, most made from common minerals, glass, or the impressive fangs of some unlucky creature.

Her fingers flitted through the wad of string, moving to detangle the mess before she consciously realized what she was doing. It soon became a game of sorts, an approving nod accompanying each necklace she patiently worked to freedom. She couldn't be sure how many she extricated as she waited for Ino, mechanically freeing and setting aside each impersonal artifact. This vendor should really take better care of his goods.

With the last clunk of glass on wood, a glint of blue caught the corner of her eye, her gaze darting from the jumble of twine to its direction. It twinkled at her with the last rays of captured daylight, winking suggestively under the allure of sunset. Her head cocked to the side as she watched it, abandoning her project as the gravitative body drew her in. Given what it was, it suddenly became ironic to call to its motional influence...

"I'll give yuh a great deal for that one, miss," rasped the vendor, leaning over his counter as the pinkette turned the object over in her hands. "Since yuh helped me out with detanglin' those others."

"It's cute!" chimed Ino out of nowhere, suddenly at Sakura's side peering at the necklace. Could she _smell_ that a deal was about to go down? "It would look great on you."

"I...I don't think I'd get it for me," answered the pinkette, dazed as the fragments of an idea clicked into place. "Sasuke and Naruto got me gifts when I made chuunin. I think...I think I'll get them each something for Team 7's anniversary. As a thank you for being such great teammates. Maybe..." Her imploring eyes found Ino's. "...maybe that'll help me say what I really want to say to them."

The blonde smiled softly, reassuringly. "I'm sure it will. Don't give up."

Sakura purchased her necklace, and Ino a pair of earrings and a bracelet, and the two set out to Sakura's home. The girl said her good-byes to Ino, letting herself into her lonely apartment. It had really been an entire month since she'd been in here, the wispy accumulation of dust on the countertops evidencing that. But she would get to that some other day. Her futon was wailing at her to climb into it.

She retreated to her bedroom, still heavy with thoughts of Naruto and Sasuke though they weren't as defined in her fatigue. But perhaps some gifts and a few well-placed words would provide a sturdy enough bridge to reconnect them. She tried not to think about their fates should that bridge collapse mid-journey...

Sakura rested the paper bag with her recently acquired necklace onto her desk. She would need to find Naruto a present tomorrow, before her teammates made it back from their mission. As her half-lidded eyes flickered over her desk, a curious piece of paper drew her attention. It rested in the center of the counter, so out of placed in her tidily organized work area. Was it some important reminder she kept in the open to consult before her mission last month? She couldn't remember.

Sakura turned the page to examine it, bolded writing coiled across the space, her world mute as the coarse voice rung through the dark room. All of a sudden, she was on the battle field again, exhausted, her form caked in blood and grime. Dirty. She could just hear his smirk in the remark, just as she had heard it during that encounter over six months ago.

_**One failed attempt won't stop us. Because when Orochimaru-sama wants something, he gets it...**_

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

* * *

**I'm curious if anyone can figure out what this mysterious message means or where it comes from...**

**Special thanks to everyone for your reviews. I've also got several amazing anonymous reviewers whom I really wish I could talk to personally. Thank you for all of your invaluable input, constructive comments and emboldening encouragement.**


	40. Decision

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**POSTED: 8/3/12**

**Last time...Sakura arrived home from the hospital to find an ominous note.**

* * *

_**Decision**_

Abumi Zaku.

Every memory, every impression, every thought she had every had of the Sound ninja uprooted itself in her tempest-tossed psyche, burning into the forefront of her consciousness as she scrambled to the Hokage's office. She recognized the message instantly, the same words Zaku had threatened Sasuke with during her match in the chuunin preliminaries. The same words that had thrown her over the edge those months ago. That incident had been indelibly branded into her memory.

"_We're going to come after Sasuke again, you know. Me and my village – the entire Hidden Sound. One failed attempt won't stop us. Because when Orochimaru-sama wants something, he gets it. And you bet I'm gonna do everything in my power to help him after I leave this place."_

The last she heard of the Sound ninja he was taken into Hidden Leaf custody, and later imprisoned indefinitely for the Sound's association with Orochimaru. Was this madman on the loose now? And if his motives remained the same, it must have meant he was going to...

Sakura bypassed the Hokage's office guard without apology, hastily bursting through the door.

"He's escaped!" she gasped, the ominous note firmly in hand as she clambered toward the desk. "Zaku's out, he's-he's managed to escape prison somehow and he...Sasuke...he wants to go after..."

"Calm yourself, Sakura," urged the blonde sannin, rising from her chair. "You can barely speak in this condition. Take your time and breathe."

"There _is_ no time," wheezed the pinkette, fighting to keep her voice under control. "Zaku's escaped."

"Zaku..." Tsunade settled back into her chair, prodding her temple for recollection. The name sounded familiar enough...

"From the chuunin exams, Tsuande-sama," offered a voice behind Sakura. The girl whirled in place to find Sato Daisuke with two women beside him she did not recognize, armfuls of papers in hand. Were all of them from the psychology department? And they were having a meeting with the Hokage. A meeting she was now interrupting.

"That's right, the Sound ninja," started the sannin. "He was made a prisoner after the chuunin exams half a year ago, right? Why are you up in arms about him?"

"Because he's _escaped_," exasperated Sakura. "He's out of prison and after Sasuke."

Silence fell as almond eyes examined the pale girl, livid expression, bandaged and huffing before her. "I see, and who told you all this?"

"I wasn't told, I figured it out. There was this note he left for me. I mean, I _know_ it was him that left it. It was a threat."

Hands clasped before the woman, a pose she usually struck when she was debating something. "And when did you realize all this?"

"After I got home this evening."

"You were alone?"

"Well, yes," answered Sakura, growing impatient. With the amount of time she had already spent explaining herself, she was expecting a team to have been assembled by now. An investigation to be launched..._something_? "Sasuke was his target last time. You have to call him and Naruto back from their mission immediately. At least until all this is sorted out."

Tsunade inhaled deeply, her eyes flickering to Daisuke before the man asked, "Sakura-san, have you been stressed?" The girl turned to her former therapist, gauging his expression. Had she just imagined that pointed look the Hokage had given him? "Especially given the afternoon's events," clarified Dr. Sato. "Have you been particularly anxious?"

"I...well I've been thinking a lot about this afternoon, just like everyone else must have." Her eyes avoided Tsunade's. "I don't see why that's important."

"You don't view your well being as important?"

Sakura sighed again. "I don't see why anything concerning me or anyone else is important. Not when I came to talk to you about a threat to shinobi safety."

"A threat to Sasuke's safety in particular, correct?"

"Yes, just like I've been telling you. _My_ well being isn't the issue...here..." The pinkette grew quiet, eyes flickering between Dr. Sato and Tsunade jadedly. Her own statement began to dawn on her as she considered them. Could it be that her well being really was their issue?

"Sakura-san, what if we told you it was impossible for Zaku to have sent any note to you?"

"You're saying I'm just making this up?" she accused, her eyes narrowing on Tsunade's now. "I'm not crazy."

"No one is suggesting that you are," explained the sannin. "But what you're saying simply isn't possible."

"So it's impossible for dangerous ninja to escape prison? If you're that confident in our prison system then ask for him there yourself. You won't find him."

"I know I won't," sighed the Hokage, "because Abumi Zaku escaped weeks ago."

"He..." Sakura's voice failed her, turning to Dr. Sato for confirmation. The man gave a curt nod. "...he's out? But that just supports what I told you. He's threatening to go after Sasuke."

"And why would he do that?" questioned Tsunade. "Why would he steal into Konoha – which is quite a feat for a wanted criminal in and of itself – to forewarn you of his plans? Can you think of any motive?"

"Well I...I don't know, to scare me or something," maintained the pinkette, scrambling to piece something together. She didn't want to admit the blonde had a point. "But threat or no, my theory's still right. Zaku will use Sasuke's mission as a chance to get him alone while he's not protected and take him away."

"This isn't the first mission Sasuke has been on since the Sound ninja's escape," said Tsunade, gripping at her slipping patience. "Both he and Naruto were sent on missions even during your coma. Zaku will not attack Sasuke. He doesn't have nearly enough skill for such an attempt anyway."

"But you can't be sure-"

"I will not call Shikamaru's team back," announced the Hokage, firmly ceasing their debate. "They are investigating a disturbance near one of our borders, and we cannot afford any delays."

The girl clenched the scrap of paper in her hand, biting back her words. Above all else, she could not contend against an order from the Hokage, not concerning shinobi affairs. "Yes, Hokage-sama," she conceded bitterly. It was time to take her leave, but she couldn't bring herself to it. Not that easily. Not when she knew in her heart of hearts that Sasuke was in danger.

"You really believe I'm wrong," she started, eyes on Dr. Sato. "That this doesn't deserve to be looked into?"

"Sakura-san," began Daisuke, his tone laced in apology, "you must understand. Since the attack, Naruto and Sasuke have been your anchors. Their presence has no doubt had an ameliorating effect on the trauma of your ordeals. And now that they have left, it's natural to create reasons to restore those anchors. I've seen it in several cases before and-"

"Creating reasons," repeated Sakura, wounded gaze on the doctor. "You think I'm...fabricating all this? Like one of your crazy patients?"

"Post-traumatic stress does not equate to crazy," clarified Dr. Sato hurriedly. "No one is suggesting you can no longer function within the realm of reason. We are only recommending caution. Your panic is causing you to jump to conclusions without considering the facts."

"What about all of you?" denounced Sakura, making her way passed Dr. Sato to the exit. "I don't see anyone considering this fact," she continued, pointedly shoving her note into the doctor's hands. "You can say I created all the reasons I wanted, but I didn't create _that_."

The kunoichi pushed through the door without waiting for a response, catching a reproachful look from the office guard as she marched from the Hokage's quarters.

The nerve of them.

Sure, she'd had a rough month, with the missions-gone-awry, the betrayal, the torture, the seal-she-had-no-idea-what-to-do-about, the coma, her team falling apart...that would make any person stress out just a little. But to use that as an excuse to dismiss her like that? And about something as important as a potential abduction. How was she expected to accept that?

A jarring bark jerked her into attention, the white mutt speeding down the corridor towards her. It was easier to suppress her cringe, having grown accustomed to Akamaru despite her mixed feelings about canines. With the dog circling her excitedly, it was no leap to determine what genin must have been nearby...

"I thought I smelled you around here," greeted Kiba, rounding a corner with Hinata and Lee in tow. "Didn't think I'd find the living dead roaming around the Hokage tower of all places."

Sakura rolled her eyes despite herself. The brunette would find a place to joke about anything, even near-death experiences. Lee and Hinata nodded in salutation, deciding against commenting on her bandaged appearance thankfully.

"I wasn't expecting to run into you guys either," said the pinkette. "Where's Shino-san?"

"Home probably," shrugged the Inuzuka, scooping Akamaru into his arms before he wandered off again. "He was on a mission with his dad by the time Team 8 got charted for a mission, so Lee came along. Didn't make a half-bad team either."

"It was an honor to have fought with you, Kiba," stated Lee. "It has been such a long time. And I am certain you will make your return to the battlefield soon, Sakura-san. Do not lose heart."

Sakura offered a hollow smile while the boy grinned widely. "We'll see I guess." Truth be told, becoming shinobi-functional again was the last concern on her mind. Was there anything left she could do about her Zaku situation? Perhaps she could rally support from a jounin and try again...

"Well we gotta report in to Tsunade-sama," said Kiba. "Was she in a foul mood or anything when you talked to her?"

"When is she not in a foul mood?" mumbled Sakura. "There's a meeting going on right now so you'll probably have to wait a bit."

"Damn," he groaned, "I was hopin' to get through our report and get out of here. But hey, you got to talk to her didn't you?"

The girl winced. "I sort of let myself in with that one."

"Bad-ass," grinned Kiba, punching her arm lightly.

"What provoked you to do that?" questioned Hinata, eyebrows furrowed as her pearly eyes examined the pinkette. They dipped to the floor almost immediately, burning above her flushed cheeks. "I-It's just not...l-like you."

"Oh..." A hesitant pause gripped her gullet as she considered her response. Would she tell them the truth? "I...there was just something I hoped Tsunade-sama could help me with," she recovered. "It's fine though."

The Hyuga nodded shyly, head still lowered, but Kiba only tsked. "I'm definitely not fallin' for that one." The boy matched Sakura's feigned confusion with a pointed look. "I was wondering why you've been so spacey tonight. You only get like this when something's on your mind, so spill."

"It's nothing," she sighed, avoiding Kiba's deliberate gaze. Even Lee and Hinata were beginning to scrutinize her now. "It was a false alarm. Tsunade-sama set me straight."

"But if it is as you say, Sakura-san," started Lee, "then why the hesitation in telling us, ay? Please allow us to assist you."

"It isn't anything you could help with," she answered weakly. "I need Sasuke back in the village, and only the Hokage can order a shinobi to abandon a mission and return. You see my problem."

"Why's it so important to get him here?" asked Kiba. "If he's on a mission, can't it wait till he's done?"

"I'm worried that would be too late. I think someone might be...after him." She fought off the image of Zaku, face split in a grin, flailing her teammate with his air funnels, dragging him to his master's lair. To Orochimaru...

"But I mean, Tsunade-sama seemed sure I was just blowing things out of proportion," she added quickly. "I'm probably just overreacting." The genin watched her intently, and she easily read their expressions. She wasn't buying her own lies either.

"Overreaction or not," began Kiba thoughtfully, "you're gonna be driving yourself crazy until Sasuke gets back. Who's he on mission with?"

"Naruto and Shikamaru for certain," she answered. "I'm not sure if anyone else is with them...why?"

She eyed the brunette warily, his hand pensively cupping his chin. "Well, Queen Courteous, I've just come up with a nifty solution to your problem." Scrutiny weighed even heavier in her eyes as she watched him. The undertone of playfulness in his words didn't sit well with her.

"Yup," he nodded, "looks like we've got no choice but to go after Sasuke ourselves."

The puppy in his arms barked in affirmation while Sakura stared at the boy blankly. He wasn't really suggesting that they steal away from Konoha on an unsanctioned mission, was he? "That's...that's completely..."

"Brilliant!" chirped Lee, eyes wide with excitement. "A splendid idea indeed."

"An _illegal _idea indeed," corrected Sakura. "Shinobi rule number 14 dictates that a ninja cannot leave his village without the instruction of his highest superior. That's the craziest thing I've ever heard."

"What's so crazy about it?" argued Kiba with a laugh. "We only just got back from our mission, so if we leave no one'll even notice we've gone AWOL. They'll just think we got held up on assignment. Akamaru and I may not be too familiar with Sasuke's scent, but Shikamaru's been our team leader enough times that we've got his memorized down to the faintest whiff. We can track them down, warn Sasuke he's being targeted and get back without anyone being the wiser. It's a solid plan, Sakura. Plus it'll be fun."

"I agree," said Lee, before the pinkette could voice her objection. "This proposal seems fair, and the reasoning is well worth the risk if it means safeguarding a comrade. I relish at the undertaking of such a covert affair."

Sakura could only gape at the pair. To Kiba this was some sort of game, and Lee seemed more occupied by the challenge of it than anything else. But the idea was so seductively simple. It hadn't been too long since her teammates' departure that afternoon. And since teams hardly ever travelled by night, they really could catch up to them in time to at least warn Sasuke and head home. A small warning could make all the difference for him on the battlefield...

"I-I'm not so sure about this," squeaked Hinata, hesitant gaze flickering between the ninja. "It could be d-dangerous. We don't even know what kind of mission N-Naruto-kun and the others are on. We could be getting in the way..."

"Better us than some rogue ninja," reasoned Kiba. "We'd be helping them in the long run."

"But what if there is no rogue ninja?"

"And what if there is?" said Lee. "That is not something we can risk. Naruto and Sasuke could need our help."

"Come on, Hinata," exasperated Kiba, "live a little. You can't back out on us. Your Byakugan could really help us out."

Sakura avoided Hinata's gaze as the shy girl began to cave. Admittedly, peer-pressure was an unfair means to provoke the Hyuga girl into action. But the pinkette had grown so affectionately attached to the prospect of this scheme, she couldn't bring herself to curb Kiba's prodding, not when they needed all of them for this to work.

"W-Well, if Naruto-kun and the others are at such risk...I suppose I c-can't refuse."

"Atta girl," barked Kiba jubilantly. "We'll leave right away and-"

"No, Kiba," started the blue-haired girl, her defiant eyes suddenly on the floor. "W-Well I mean, it's nighttime already. And we've been travelling all day. I-I really think we should rest first."

"She's right," said Sakura, silencing the brunette. Supporting Hinata's one request was the least she could do for her cooperation. Besides, it wasn't an unfounded suggestion. "You've got your sleeping gear already. You can hide out at my apartment and rest, and we'll set out tomorrow before dawn."

"_We_?"

"Yes, we. Because I'm going with you too."

* * *

He rested coolly against the cushion of the damp tufts of green, stretching his drained limbs against the dirt. The night air was crisp in his nostrils as he inhaled, each breath carrying mixed scents of evergreen leaves and bark. He could just make out pieces of the starry sky peering through the canopy, the perfect view where he lay. But alas, he couldn't sit and enjoy this. How troublesome it was, being surrounded by the perfection of nature and having to deny himself of its bliss. But there was something he needed to sort out, an obligation as team leader he had to fulfill.

What a total drag.

"Hey, Naruto," he whispered, jerking the blonde carcass to life.

The boy rolled in his cocoon, groggily extricating himself from his covers. "Hm? Huh?" groaned the blonde in a sleepy slur, scrubbing at the corners of his eyes. "Whaz goin' on? Iz my shift? Felt like I'wz barely'sleep two minutes..."

"That's because it _has_ only been two minutes," exasperated Shikamaru, giving his shoulder another shove. "Sheesh I wasn't expectin' you to be out that quick, wake up already. There's somethin' I gotta talk to you about."

A sobering slap to his cheek perked him to attention, the blonde springing to a seat beneath his blankets. "I'm up I'm up," he assured, fully alert now. "What's your problem?"

"I'm just gonna cut to the chase," said the chuunin, dreading every word poised on his lips. "Are you and Sasuke...okay?"

Naruto blinked back dumbly. "Err yeah. I know I'm feeling fine, and I mean Sasuke's right over there next to Chouji on watch. He seems okay too, duh."

"Jeez...relationship-wise. Are you and Sasuke okay _relationship-_wise?"

"Ohhhh...ugh what relationship. We can barely stand each other right now."

The Nara restrained his palm as it clapped against his forehead. The blonde wasn't going to make this easier for him. But who cares, he had gotten to the point he was trying to make anyway. "Very good, Naruto," he humored, "now I want you to tell me why that is."

"Why we're like this? What do you care about it?"

"I really don't," droned the chuunin, "I couldn't care less about any of it. But you two haven't been workin' together as well as you usually do. I need to know if I can count on your teamwork for this mission."

"Oh..." Naruto fidgeted under his covers, screwing some kind of response together. "Well...it's kinda complicated to explain."

"I got a gist of it from Ino the other day," offered Shikamaru. "Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather stay out of this altogether. It's a drag but if there's some way to fix you two well enough to become a team again, we gotta try it. Why are you so mad at Sasuke anyway?"

"He's just not doing it right," moaned the blonde. "He's messing up with everything, makin' the wrong moves all the time. He isn't helping her at all."

"Helping _her_?"

"Well, Sakura-chan." Naruto's incensed gaze drifted across the dark camp to Sasuke, propped against a tree trunk. "Just thinking about it gets me so mad," he continued. "He's doing it all wrong."

"Sasuke can be pretty frosty, but Sakura's the one person in the world I gotta say he acts decent to. Can't see him mistreating her."

"Well he is," said Naruto gruffly, eyes returning to his leader. "He can help Sakura-chan _so_ much, make all her pain go away. But he's too busy in his own world to pay attention."

"If that's the issue, why don't you just help her yourself?"

"'Cause I can't," he answered simply, fingers clutching at the fabric in his lap. "I can't do what Sasuke can."

Shikamaru's puzzled gaze rested on the blonde as he considered the burning boy. Naruto's inferiority complex with Sasuke wasn't a shocker to anyone. But he'd be damned if the knucklehead ever actually admitted Sasuke really was better than him at anything. What could make him act so out-of-character now? And as if the answer had always been there even before the question, the brunette was belted into complete understanding...and he never dreaded their conversation more than in that singular moment.

"Cripes," he muttered, ready to rip his own throat out if only to avoid saying any more. "You like her, don't you." Naruto's guilty expression was all the corroborating evidence he needed.

Girls.

Of course they'd be the source of this troublesome problem. Weren't they always?

"But I don't like her like that anymore," recovered Naruto. "Definitely not. This isn't even about me anyway."

"Right," indulged Shikamaru. "This is about Sasuke."

"Yeah, Sasuke, exactly. He and Sakura-chan are so close, he can get her to open up to him about almost anything."

"So you think it's up to him to help her," interpreted the chuunin. "But you and Sakura are pretty close too."

The blonde scoffed lightly. "Me? Yeah right. I mean, I guess before I thought maybe I had a chance but...they got more in common I guess. She likes him better..."

Shikamaru gave a scratch to his brow. He really didn't want to be here. "Nah you're probably just readin' too into things, man. Sakura cares a lot for yuh."

"She likes Sasuke more," he maintained, picking at the grass beneath him. "It's ever since Sasuke had that accident with Itachi and got in that coma." The image of Sakura wrapping her body around Sasuke's as he awoke, the way she was shaking as she embraced him, a way she never held _him_... "I can't explain it, but I just get this vibe around them, like I shouldn't be there. So I've just backed off. And now...ugh, Sasuke's messing it all _up_."

"Have you talked to him about it? You guys are best buds."

"Me and Sasuke? Best friends?"

"That's what you are, aren't you? And I know with me 'n Chouji, if there was ever somethin' this big botherin' me I'd tell him."

"I dunno if you've noticed but Sasuke's not exactly the chatty type. I can't just talk him up on stuff."

"I'm just saying," sighed Shikamaru, dusting himself off as he rose to his feet. "Better to nip things in the bud before they spiral outta hand, you know? Might end up regretting it later..."

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

* * *

**Now, with regard to the NaruSaku in this story I wanted to clarify some things. Basically...I have very specific plans for them. Many have been pointing out it's slow pace in comparison to the SasuSaku that's running rampant through so many chapters. Your observations are correct. But I wanted to assure you all that it's on purpose. I do have a design in mind so please trust me on this. I got you guys covered. I will make a special effort to include more fluff, but the ****slow speed of things will remain and I only thought it fair to let everyone know that. Thank you for reading!**


	41. A Wayward Quest

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**POSTED: 12/25/12 (aka best day of the year!)**

**Recap: Sakura is in recovery after her last run-in with Kagura. Team 7 is a bit of an emotional mess right now, Sasuke and Naruto are out on a new mission, and a mysterious note delivered to Sakura has her convinced Orochimaru's up to something Sasuke-related. She sets out with Kiba, Hinata and Lee to find her teammates and warn them of potential danger...**

* * *

_**A Wayward Quest**_

The Leaf ninja sped through the forest with practiced ease towards their target. Kiba and Akamaru spearheaded the charge, their keen noses trained on Shikamaru's scent. Hours of travel had been covered since their departure at dawn, and their objective was swiftly drawing within reach.

"Shouldn't be too long now," called Kiba. "This trail we're on can't be more than an hour old. You want us to keep pluggin' ahead?"

The brunette's eyes were on Sakura now, awaiting instruction. Barring the fact that she outranked them, this little vigilante-mission was her idea after all. "I think this is a good place to stop actually," she huffed. "We'll take a short rest before getting in the thick of things."

The three genin followed her lead as she descended into a small clearing. The pinkette quietly fought to catch her breath as she walked off the strain of their morning's journey. It took several moments of gasping before she noticed Hinata's gaze on her, her pearly whites shooting to the ground before her flushed cheeks turned away. But Sakura read enough in her eyes to guess she had spotted it too. The recovering chuunin had become far more winded than any of the others. Perhaps her body really wasn't ready for...

"I'm taking these off," she remarked, shaking away her half-finished thought. Her fingers motioned to the white wrappings under her shirt. "These bandages are restricting my movement too much."

"Would that be wise?" cautioned Lee, his face spun the other way as Sakura fiddled under her clothing. "Your injuries may reopen."

"They're all closed up. The nurses only kept the wrappings because the skin's still tender. I can manage."

Her hands moved to her arms next, snakes of white trickling from her body as she worked herself free. The girl realized too late that she also uncovered the strange marking from Kagura, her hands clasped around the symbol on her arm as she turned away from her comrades. She removed her Konoha headband from her head, securing it to her arm before shifting toward her team.

It was only then that she noticed it...the tension in Kiba's frame, Akamaru's inflated fur, their sharp eyes swiveling about the space.

All was quiet about them. Not even the birds dared disturb the forest's haunting peace.

In the same breath, a bristly beast crashed through the clearing, ivory tusks trained on its prey as it snarled and flailed. With a bound into the trees, Hinata and Kiba evaded the first charge, an explosion of bark scattering where they once stood. The creature reared almost immediately, undaunted as it propelled its head into its next target.

Sakura dove in time to miss the tusks, the animal screeching as it dug its hooves into the earth before spinning in her direction. It rose on its haunches, towering above the girl as it prepared to crush her under its weight.

A whirlwind of green struck its side almost too late, slamming the animal to the ground. Sakura escaped into the trees as more attacks pummeled the beast into submission. It was unabated, continuing its struggle against the Leaf-nin until a deliberate kunai to the jugular by Kiba permanently silenced its movement.

The ninja gathered slowly around the carcass, finally able to appreciate the animal in its stillness.

Its prickly fur was a charred black, contrasted against the waxy ivory curling from its snout. If not for its unusual size and unprovoked ferocity, the animal they had just slain could have passed for a typical wild boar.

"What sort of creature is this?" posed Lee, his eyes on Kiba, their unofficial wilderness expert.

"I'm drawin' a blank on this one," answered the brunette. "We've never seen a forest boar this huge, right Akamaru?"

The canine grunted in affirmation, hesitantly sniffing at the dead animal. His head perked to the side almost in confusion, and soon his nose was guzzling air with every erratic snort. The panicked barks followed.

"What's wrong, boy?" offered Kiba, kneeling to the floor to console his partner. The dog said its piece through muffled groans, prompting his owner to snuff at the air as well. "Hey you're right," he said, "ugh I can't believe I didn't notice this before."

"What's going on?" asked Sakura. "What did you guys pick up?"

"Nothing," answered the Inuzuka, stunned in his own response. "We can't smell anything. This hog has no scent."

"How is this possible?" chimed Lee. "Could this creature be something beyond the realm of nature itself?"

"I...I dunno. But the longer we're all standin' around it, the less smells I can pick up from any of you."

"I-It's canceling our scents?" said Hinata.

"That's one explanation," started Sakura, her eyebrows knitted in thought. "Another could be that something about this boar is interfering with our noses themselves. We need to know which is which."

"I see what you mean, Sakura-san," said Lee. "If it is only our scents that become altered from exposure to the animal then we may still track Shikamaru and the others. However, should the case be that Kiba's and Akamaru's noses are becoming impaired, then we can no longer rely on smell to complete our objective."

"We're going to backpedal from here and see what happens as we move away from this area. Just tell us what you sense, Kiba-san."

"Gotcha," he answered, bounding back into the trees as the group retraced their steps. "The fact that an animal like that can even do something to smells still seems fishy to me," he continued. "I've never heard of anything like it."

"Do you think the animal is r-related to why Naruto-kun and the others were sent here?" questioned Hinata.

"I...don't know," said Sakura. Maybe it really had been rash to follow after Sasuke without backing from the Hokage. At least they wouldn't be flying into a mission blind. And with her team's lives in her hands... "We need more information."

"Don't start moping," barked Kiba, a grin in his voice. "I'm sure we can figure this whole mess out, and besides I got good news for ya. Now that I'm not next to that hog, I can actually smell stuff again. Mostly the trees, but your scents are still pretty weak to me."

"So it does not affect your nose after all," cheered Lee. "That is most fortunate for us."

"It seems that way..." Sakura added uncertainly. They halted in the treetops.

"You do not appear relieved, Sakura-san. What troubles you?"

Her gaze wandered over the three ninja. "What are the odds that there's only one boar in this forest that can cancel scents? There are probably others out there."

"So we take 'em down and move on," said Kiba. "Nothing we can't handle."

"But if there _are_ others...Shikamaru and his team would have come across them too. The scent-cancelling boars..."

Recognition sparked in Kiba's eyes. "I won't be able to track them."

Hinata and Lee glanced at each other. "When anyone gets exposed to these animals," started Hinata.

"...they leave with dampened scents," finished Lee. "Kiba and Akamaru will be unable to pick up their trail."

"Even if the effect is temporary," continued the chuunin, "it would still leave us wandering around with no way of tracking Shikamaru, or even our own movements. We'd just get lost, and we'd be no closer to finding Sasuke."

"Is our cause lost to us then?" asked Lee.

"No way, we can't just turn back," argued Kiba. "We've come so _far._ I know they passed through here recently, so we're probably close enough to use the Byakugan now. Right Hinata?"

Sakura's eyes flickered to the Hyuuga in hopeful consideration, but she quickly shook her head. She would not make the same mistake twice, over-relying on the Byakugan. "We need more to go on. I won't endanger your lives by charging forward without any direction."

"Don't be such a quitter."

"This mission was a long-shot before we ever left Konoha," exasperated Sakura. "I...I shouldn't have said yes."

"This can still-"

"No, Kiba-san, it can't. We're going home to-"

A shrill cry ripped through the space, silencing Sakura as the ninja's eyes whirled about their surroundings.

"Was that what I thought I heard?" questioned the pinkette.

"A woman," said Hinata. "She was s-screaming."

There was a brief silence, tersely interrupted with another eerie shriek.

"I can't smell anyone nearby," said Kiba, "but she sounded close. Use your Byakugan to check things out."

With a blink and pulsation of chakra, the Hyuuga examined the terrain with her doujutsu. Visions of the neighboring expanse of forest flickered through her eyes in seconds, her widened gaze reverting to the norm when she discovered her quarry.

"A woman, about 100 meters west. She appears to have just been attacked, th-though I can't detect her assailants close by."

"Still thinking we should jut head home?"

The pinkette gave Kiba a scowl. "Shinobi don't leave civilians to fend for themselves. Let's check things out."

* * *

The ninja soon discovered their target, a robed woman clung to the highest treetop a person could climb without chakra. She appeared haggard, her eyes saucer-like as she peered at her rescuers.

"W-Who are you?" she yelped. "Are you ninja? P-Please, can you please get me down from here?"

Lee, always the gentleman, was the first to respond, smoothly guiding the lady to the stable earth. She all but kissed his feet in gratitude as she thanked him.

"You have no idea how long I've been stuck in that tree," she exhaled. "Treetops are the only ways of escaping those terrible boars."

"The boars?" questioned Lee. "You know about these strange animals? My fair lady, please tell us more."

The woman suppressed a blush, shyly dipping her head into her scarf. "Well everyone around here knows about them," she began breathlessly, "vicious beasts emerging from the End Region. They've invaded our territory recently, hindering trade across the border. That's how I knew you were ninja. Rumor has it the Hokage sent a team to investigate the situation, and it's about time too."

"Shikamaru's team," mumbled Kiba.

Sakura nodded. "Do you know where these animals came from?"

"I've only ever heard rumors," she hushed. "Many stories about the End Region have circulated over the years, strange horrific tales. 'Most no one ventures there. I can't say whether these creatures have been around before or more recently, but chances are you can find your answer at the end of the End."

An eerie silence rested between the group as they considered the woman's mysterious message. She parted from them soon after, certain she could get a safe distance away from the beasts' territory before being pursued.

"What do you guys think?" asked Kiba. "I couldn't smell her or anything around us so her boar-attack story seems to check out at least."

"She wasn't lying to us," said Sakura with assurance. "But most of what she said afterwards was hearsay anyway. Her believing them true and those rumors actually being true are two different things."

"Sh-She was correct about one thing," chimed Hinata. "Myths and stories of the End Region have always existed, mostly to explain unexplainable phenomenon."

"Yeah I've heard some," added Kiba. "The one about people turning into wild animals by the glow of moonlight seemed so cool to me growing up. But now that we might actually be facin'em, the idea just doesn't seem as attractive, hah."

"We are not fighting human-animal hybrids," deadpanned Sakura. "There's a logical explanation for all of this."

"If you say so," laughed Kiba. "So we can continue with our mission now right?"

The pinkette's gaze became even more pointed.

"Hey don't gimme that look. You said we needed more bearings before we could move forward right? Well we just got 'em – the End Region, full speed ahead!"

* * *

The terrain grew coarse as they journeyed deeper, an eerie mist ghosting through the tangle of deformed trees. The overcast sky only added to the lack of visibility, the group slowly drawing closer to the cryptic 'end of the End.'

Their travel had been rife with disappointment, the crazed boars being the only things they had encountered. The increasingly frequent confrontations meant they were now deep in hog territory – Sasuke and the others should have been nearby. But the attacks were an annoying delay. And to add insult to injury, Kiba's sense of smell had grown close to useless by then, with their only form of reconnaissance being Hinata's Byakugan.

They were beginning to lose hope.

"Everyone, hold on a minute," chimed Hinata, forcing the group to a halt.

"What is it?" asked Sakura, her hope soaring despite herself. "Did you see something?"

"W-Well I think so," she started, her Byakugan eyes slowly reverting to normal. "I've been regularly scanning the area within a 2km radius, just like y-you told me. There's a river just up ahead a-and there's something there, a fabric of some kind."

"Lead us to it," said the pinkette, the team speeding through the foggy forest with newfound earnest. It was doubtful this cloth meant anything useful. But the hours of quiet and fruitless searching had left them desperate for any scrap of direction.

They emerged from the trees, racing across the rocky flatland until the water body finally came into view.

"Here it is," said the Hyuuga, easily locating the discarded fabric on the barren riverbank. She held in her hand a long white scarf, peppered with dirt and grime across its tattered surface. "What do you think it is?"

"I'm not picking up any scents off it," said Kiba begrudgingly. "Not that that's a surprise."

"I have this strange feeling," said Lee wistfully, scrutinizing it. "As if I have seen it before."

Sakura immediately agreed, gaze locked on the scarf as it teased and prodded at her memory. She knew Lee had been right, there was no question about it. But where had she seen...?

"Chouji!" blurted the Hyuuga, stretching the fabric eagerly in her hands as she re-examined it to confirm. "I-I'm pretty certain of it. This is Chouji's scarf!"

"You think Chouji might be the fourth ninja on their team?" asked Kiba.

"I wouldn't doubt it," started Sakura. "But where did they go from here?"

"And more importantly," continued Lee, "in what sort of circumstance must they have been for our friend to have abandoned his clothing in this way?"

His lingering question hung silently in their thoughts, Sakura clenching her fists to steel herself. Orochimaru couldn't have got to them already? "We can't play it safe any longer. Hinata-san, please expand your search of the forest to a 5km radius immediately. They can't be too far from here."

The blue-haired girl did as instructed, bracing her chakra with focus as her sight stretched through the forest. A gasp escaped her lips almost instantly, her frame tensed. "We've got trouble," she gritted. "I-I can't believe I missed them. I'm so sorry, Sakura...they must have been just beyond my range all this time."

"Who was?" pressed Sakura. "Is it Sasuke?"

The tensed girl shook her head. "Two unidentified ninja appear to be headed this way...very strong and very fast. Th-They'll be here any second."

"Hah it's about time," fisted Kiba, smirking through his teammates' tension. "I've been itchin' for some action."

"Everyone be on guard for an ambush," called the chuunin. "By Hinata-san's description, we should assume they aren't friends."

Their senses were trained on the misty forest, their arched bodies prepared to react to the slightest disturbance. It was in that moment that Sakura's doubt, which floated about her all this time, cemented itself in her heavy chest as it rose and fell with hot, stilled breaths.

Her body had been weakened, the unspoken fact was clear to even her comrades as they journeyed. She tired quicker, her reflexes had slowed, and even her chakra felt strange. She convinced herself that all these defects would be restored with time and use; her body just needed to get used to being a ninja again.

But as she stood on the rocky edge of the raging river, the drawl of gushing water a backdrop to the sound of her own quickening heartbeat against her eardrum, prepared to face the ninja that may have assaulted Chouji and his team, she had never questioned the legitimacy her presence more...

Senbon needles rained down on them, kunai raised as the ninja deflected the shower of daggers.

"Dive left!" screamed Hinata, the Leaf-nin trusting the vision of the Byakugan-user as they blindly bounded after her lead.

Soon enough, rocky debris joined the shower of needles, the space they once stood exploding into a cloud of dust under the impact of the enemy's attack. All became quiet once again, the shroud of fragments lifting to reveal one of the ninja.

His arms hung zombie-like before his arched body, a metal mask obscuring his face so that his haunting eyes were the only parts of him they could see, his bulky body cloaked beneath his garments.

"The other one's still in the trees," whispered the Hyuuga, her veiny eyes darting to a cluster of shrubs in the forest.

"Nothing escapes the Byakugan," jeered a voice, the body of a dark-haired woman materializing before them. "Long time no see, Leaf brats."

At her words, recognition sparked in Sakura's eyes, her heart dipping to her stomach as she gazed at the woman, and then at the mummy ninja, and back again.

"Kin of the Hidden Sound," gasped the pinkette. "And you...you're Dosu?" The latter ninja was only recognizable by association. His face had been masked to them even during the chuunin exams, but even so he was still unfamiliar to her. There was something different about him, in those empty eyes.

"Now now, don't stare so hard at my Dosu," cooed Kin, an icy smirk in place. "He hasn't had an easy time since his betrayal of Orochimaru-sama during those exams. But I must say he's rehabilitated into quite the obedient lapdog for our lord. Watch..."

With a snap of her fingers, their senses were engulfed by the screech of metal, the air churning with vibrations. Sakura cringed beneath the boom, hands clamped on her ears just like her comrades' were. She caught a flash of movement at her side and in an instant Hinata was down, needle-like shafts of metal protruding from her body. Kin was determined to take them out, all of them trapped under a debilitating wave of sound.

She forced her hands into seals, resonating her chakra with the river surging behind her. Her stiffened energy waxed and waned under her influence, tugging against every push but she pressed on. Her hand signs were made; she would not give her unused chakra the opportunity to disobey. They needed a shield.

"Water Style: Water Wall!"

Her tensed body awaited the barrier of water that never came. A jolt to her calves crashed her to the ground as a throng of senbon sailed over her.

"Y-Your chakra won't work like that," gritted Hinata. She retracted her glowing palms from the points she had struck Sakura's legs. The Hyuga dragged her skewered body toward her. "Work up the energy gradually...until it starts working right again."

If there was anyone who would have noticed the specific irregularities of Sakura's chakra, it was the Hyuuga. And despite knowing that, despite her inhibitions about their quest from the very start, despite how the chuunin had let her down during their last mission-gone-awry, she still stood by her. She still defended her friends, in the only ways she knew how.

The pinkette's hesitant eyes resurfaced to the battle. She couldn't use chakra, but would her bare hands do? Would anything she did be enough?

Kiba and Akamaru were struggling against the Sound ninja, their joint assaults driving the Leaf-nin ever closer to the riverbank's edge. Sakura didn't have time to find Lee through the mist, the cold metal of her shuriken primed between her numbed fingers as she searched for an opening.

Would anything she did be enough?

Under a plume of smoke, Akamaru launched himself as a Human-Beast Clone of Kiba, his Tunneling Fang spearing into Kin at full velocity. Kiba attempted the same tactic on Dosu, but the scraping impact on metal only repelled him against the ground, his tattered body tumbling backwards until half of it was left swinging lifelessly over the cliff edge.

Sakura's shuriken found Dosu's arm before he could continue his charge, the metal stars ensnaring his appendage in a tangle of ninja-wire. She steeled against the tension of his pulls, her heels purring with chakra as they burned against the hard earth. Her frame was already unsteady under the constant barrage of sound waves that assaulted them. She could never hold back his weight, but this was all she could do to buy Kiba some time to recover.

The masked nin heaved her to the ground with one pull, her shoulder grating across the terrain even after her grip was lost. She scrambled to her feet, catching glints of iron through the mist surrounding Dosu. More sounds of a struggle followed and she was certain Lee must have rejoined the fray. And in whatever brief reprieve he allowed her, her first thought went to Kiba.

Sakura found his side in seconds, the boy shakily lifting to his knees. He looked out of it, his palms pooling crimson from the aftermath of his Tunneling Fang. She supported him, the pair rising in time to catch Kin barreling towards them. The intent in her eyes was unmistakable. She would get just in range for a well-aimed barrage of senbon, one that would hit vital points this time. She halted to take aim, zeroing in on them through the faint fog.

It was Akamaru who intervened this time, his body spinning in mid leap as he sailed over her. Mucus-like fluid frothed from his mouth, bathing the Sound kunoichi's face in an unappealing wave of slobber that made her shriek.

Sakura spared the canine a grin as he skittered happily to his master, aware of a job well done. Kin was grounded and out of commission for the moment, scraping at her face as she wailed. It would be child's play to stick a kunai in her then and there and be done with it...

"Sakura-san!" called Lee in the distance, tumbling through dirt as Dosu charged toward the pair.

With Kiba draped across her shoulder there was no opening for escape. Sakura shoved herself forward, kunai raised in the vain hope of catching the Sound-nin's metallic fist. But things were getting so hazy through the mist, she could barely hold her weapon right. Or perhaps she had been exposed to the sound waves for too long.

"Not them you dolt!" screeched Kin, still raking saliva from her eyes. "Are you even looking at what you're doing?"

Dosu's fist blurred across her hazed vision, purposely missing the target that was her body.

Then the ground beneath her shattered apart.

The Sound-nin had deflected his attack to the earth, making what was once infallible rock crumble like sand beneath her sandaled feet. She shifted quickly to find her footing as the ground fell away, but the rubble was a wave of brown sinking swiftly toward the river.

Akamaru was still at her side as she struggled, yelping and pawing at the ground, and in the next instant he was gone. Sakura whipped backwards, finding the canine pulling against Kiba's semi-conscious form as they slipped further through the rock bed.

And then the trio disappeared over the edge.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

* * *

**A/N: It's been quite a while, I know. Still using my free time to work on this, but time's pretty scarce for me these days. Hope everyone still out there enjoyed the update. I'll try to post again soon. Happy holidays!**


	42. A Long Way Down

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**POSTED****: 01/15/13**

* * *

_**A Long Way Down**_

The earth quaked beneath Lee's feet as the rocky edge shattered into the river. His head was still reeling from Dosu's sound waves. Though he spotted Hinata, his mucky vision must have been why he couldn't find Kiba or Sakura under this blanket of mist.

"…now I have to clean up your mess," spat Kin. "Take care of those Leaf brats. If you think you can handle even that."

The fuming kunoichi stormed off the battlefield, abandoning her comrade on the riverbank. And Lee knew – there would be no better opportunity to defeat Dosu than in this moment.

The genin charged for him, his heels spinning in his trademark Leaf Hurricane. Dosu caught the first kick with his arm, while the second struck his abdomen with little effect. Lee gritted as he retracted his legs, retreating from the ninja and his screeching sound waves.

"This is awful," yelled Hinata, her fingers in her ears as she found Lee's side.

"Indeed," he agreed, rubbing his legs soothingly. "Dosu's body reminds me of those armored ninja we fought on our first Konoha 12 mission. For every strike I deliver, it seems the impact is felt on my own body."

"It makes vibrations when the armor is struck." Hinata seemed distracted as she spoke, her Byakugan eyes appearing and dissipating as she struggled for focus. "These sound waves…i-it makes it so hard to concentrate."

"I am familiar. Stuff strips of cloth into your ears as I have" – Lee pointed to his ears – "it dulls the sound. Though I can feel the effects beginning. We must work quickly to regroup with Sakura-san and Kiba and defeat the Sound ninja. Have you been able to locate them through this fog?"

"Lee..." Hinata hesitated as she read his blank expression. "...y-you didn't realize it? Kiba and Sakura got thrown into the river."

* * *

Ice thundered through every nerve, her body tossing and turning at the mercy of the rapids. Sakura couldn't tell up from down in the tumbling currents.

She finally came to a stop when she slammed into a boulder, nails grating into the cold stone as she held on. Turbulent waters restricted her vision as she squinted through the waves, but it was her hearing that helped her find Kiba at last. Akamaru's howls rebounded along the cliffs that encased the river, drawing her eyes to a slanting tree trunk jutting above the currents. The white pup struggled to keep himself and his master on the bark. If his strength didn't give out, it looked like the rickety tree soon would.

"I'm coming," called Sakura, swallowing a mouthful of water. "Hang on!" She heaved her torso onto the boulder to get some stability. The currents were too strong to attempt swimming to the canine. And her chakra wasn't exactly committed to good behavior lately. Could she afford to trust it?

She pooled chakra to her palms, testing its pull against the boulder-face as she climbed. The force was weak but present enough to pull her whole body out of the water. From where she clung, the chuunin guessed Akamaru's tree trunk was almost 40 feet upstream of her. One chakra-enhanced jump wouldn't cover the distance. But hers wasn't the only boulder in the area.

She set her sights on two blocks of rock that lay on her path to Akamaru and Kiba, then slowly collected her chakra into the soles of her feet. She hoped it would be enough to make the jumps. And hoped even more that her body would cooperate with what she needed to do.

The girl kept her knees bent and firm, inhaled deeply, and took off.

* * *

Lee pounded his bandaged knuckles against the ground, gasping as he forced himself to his feet after another failed attack on Dosu. Despite Kin's absence, the genin didn't seem to be fairing any better in their battle. His body felt so heavy, so slowed. He willed his swimming vision into focus and even that wasn't working anymore, as their exposure to the screeching sound waves continued.

"I don't know what else to do," whimpered Hinata, still on her knees. "H-He's just too-" She retched onto the dirt, her senses completely overwhelmed.

"We cannot lose heart, Hinata-san," declared Lee, diverting his eyes before he too was overcome with nausea. He had experienced this in the Forest of Death during the exams. But Rock Lee would not become a victim to Dosu's sound waves a second time. "I shall protect you and our comrades with everything I have!"

A grumble came from the Sound ninja across the battlefield. Lee could only guess he was laughing.

"Your technique seems to have evolved so that you no longer require physical hits to trigger those sound waves. But I imagine the jutsu still works the same – vibrations affecting the ear's balance system to cripple your foes." Dosu watched him blankly. "The last time I faced you, Sakura-san's genjutsu allowed me to overpower your sound waves and fight. This time around I shall require a new tactic. One that will completely neutralize your jutsu."

He motioned to Hinata, procuring a kunai from her holster as she struggled to keep her head up. "L-Lee?"

The boy worked the scraps of cloth from his ears, opening the canal for something less gentle. And with one delicate push, the tip of the kunai invaded the delicate space and he winced. He felt something hot trickle from his ear, his left side suddenly muted to the world.

"S-Stop!" cried the Hyuuga, lunging toward his hand. Her body collided with his clumsily, Lee grasping her as he guided their bodies to the ground. Her tear-filled eyes stared into his unwaveringly. "You can't...I won't let you-"

"This must be done." He matched her resolve with his own, his hand gripping tightly on her arm. "I fear for our comrades in those rapids, Hinata-san. They could die if we do not get to them quickly, from the river itself or that Sound kunoichi. And a deaf ninja is the only kind that will be immune to the Sound's jutsu. With a punctured eardrum, his harmful waves cannot reach me."

The girl looked away from him, suddenly feeling nauseous again. Her cousin's rival, the "talentless" ninja who could never practice the wonders of ninjutsu...would become deaf to the world as well?

"I-I'll do your other ear," she choked, forcing down the bile in her throat. "You won't do this alone."

Lee nodded, handing her the kunai. The blade felt heavy in her hands. It was just unnatural, turning her own weapon on a friend. She managed to summon her Byakugan instead, concentrating chakra to her fingertips before striking Lee's right ear with them. There was a painful jolt; it sounded almost like the crackle of electricity in his head.

And then emptiness.

He glanced to Hinata, her lips moving mutely. He shook his head to mean that he couldn't hear her, pointing for her to retreat to the forest while he finished this fight.

As he had hoped, the screeching in his ears had disappeared and he could feel some of his focus returning. But there was another problem he had to work out. His limbs ached from each blow he managed on Dosu – an impact from the vibrations of the Sound-nin's armor. And while Dosu's body was protected, the vibrations produced in his metal fists when he punched could shatter boulders on impact. To defeat Dosu, he would have to avoid every death-punch and somehow bypass the armor to knock him out.

Dosu charged for him but Lee was quicker this time. He lifted the weights from his legs in an instant, piecing the bars together into an iron rod that countered Dosu's fists. He could imagine the booming clang of metal as they clashed, his weapon shaking violently under the brunt of attacks.

His bones ached but he kept up the pressure, the boy slamming the rod into Dosu until he found an opening. The iron tip swept one of Dosu's fists to the outside, with the rod's body spinning to deflect the other hand. With Dosu's body open, Lee used the staff's momentum to swing the shaft into the man's face, the weapon sparking fire as it smashed into his head at full force.

Lee's body sailed across the terrain on impact, tumbling through rock. He brushed sweat off his heavy brow as he forced his aching form into a stance, resting against his rod for support.

His eyes met Dosu's, his haunting glare unchanged. The Sound-nin stood in the epicenter of a swirling depression in the rocks, the destructive result of whatever energy had been released when Lee's staff collided with Dosu's mask. The boy scrutinized the scene under half-lidded eyes, his pounding brain racing to work out what had transpired. And as he leaned forward, he caught himself in a stumble, his staff giving way. The shaft of refined iron crumbled away through his fingers into a mound of metal bits at his feet.

His last line of defense had been destroyed.

The Sound-nin's gaze was on Lee, his glee reflected within it. "This is not yet over," gasped the genin, deaf to his own voice. "I carry the lives of my comrades on my back with an unbreakable fervor. They are all precious to me, and because of that I cannot lose!"

His feet pounded the earth, his stance no longer wavering. Blood flooded his cheeks as he focused, heat and chakra entwining in a storm of fury that engulfed his body. He could feel his own muscles pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat as more chakra gates opened.

"To protect those who are precious at all costs...this is the way of Konoha shinobi. Fifth gate, Gate of Closing, open!"

Lee vanished in an instant, appearing behind Dosu and crushing a fist into his back. His knuckles met metal, the impact forcing the two ninja apart as the earth fractured beneath them. The boy rebounded, slamming a heel to his opponent's thigh. Again there was armor.

In seconds, Lee had struck virtually every square-inch of Dosu's body, unable to find one vital point unprotected by his special armor. Their battleground became a maze of fissures. His limbs burned with a pain greater than just overexertion from the inner gates. Like the earth below his feet, his bones were fracturing under the pressure of the armor's micro vibrations. He wondered what would shatter first, his limbs or the ground on which they stood.

He decided it would be the ground.

In a flash, an uppercut to Dosu launched him into the air. Lee leapt into the air, batting Dosu's body back and forth across the sky until there was enough momentum. He had only ever performed this jutsu once before in the chuunin preliminaries, but this time around the match would end in his favor. It had to.

"Reverse Lotus!"

His fist and leg pummeled the Sound-nin to the ground, pulverizing his body through the rocky cliff on the riverbank. The ensuing vibrations of the armor's impact only amplified the destructive force on the terrain, as Lee burrowed Dosu's body through the rock. The entire ledge exploded to ruins, the debris and Sound-nin himself sent plummeting into the river.

Everything suddenly went dark for Lee. With his hearing gone he couldn't be sure if he was still awake or unconscious. Or perhaps he had fallen into the river and was dead. His numbness became a wave of painful cold before dulling again. And all awareness of himself slipped away.

* * *

Sakura awoke with a start, sweeping her matted hair from her face as her gaze swiveled about the dark space. She pulled her body out of the pool of water, realizing now that she was in some sort of cave. The last she remembered she was in the rapids, trying to get to Kiba and Akamaru. She had been hopping from boulder to boulder to reach them when-

"You fell," rasped a voice below her.

"Kiba-san?"

There was a chuckle in response. "A shinobi deciding to use rocks in a river as her stepping-stones, and doesn't expect them to be slippery. Princess preparedness is droppin' points."

She fished her glow stick from her bag, cracking it to illuminate the space. Kiba's bloody form appeared at her feet, the boy's pup collapsed beside him. She quickly but carefully pulled their limp bodies into the drier area of the cave.

"Where did all this blood come from?" As Kiba lay on his back she unzipped his sopping coat, padding the crimson patches on his body. His blood-drenched hands would be next. "I don't remember you being this injured."

"Looks worse than it is," he shrugged. "Guess that's what happens when Tunneling Fang hits solid rock huh?"

The pinkette studied the cavern more closely now. It was a small pocket of rock, half of it land, the other a pool of river water. The mouth of the cave was mostly underwater, she guessed, with a small gap lying above the water surface that allowed some light. "You burrowed into this place?"

"Didn't have much of a choice after you fell in, hah. Is Akamaru okay?"

Sakura left Kiba's side to check on the canine. He was unconscious but didn't look too hurt. "I think he's just exhausted."

"He's a tough little guy," he sighed. "It's 'cause of Akamaru that I didn't drown. My hands went totally numb after fightin' that Sound-nin with the mask. He pointed out this cave too, while we were stuck on that tree trunk."

"So that was the plan," surmised Sakura, dousing her bloodied cloth into the water so she could continue cleaning his injuries. "After I got to you we were supposed to get inside here."

"Bingo." He cringed when Sakura began on his hands. She guessed his wounds must have been deeper here. "But I had to think quick when you fell. We jumped in and grabbed you. Then I used the Tunneling Fang to get us to the cave. Kinda crashed through bits of the opening though."

So that was the story. This was her fault then. "Didn't realize you could use that jutsu with people held onto you."

"Was news to me too. I'm just glad you passed out instead of hurling."

She continued padding the blood, there was just so much of it. And she guessed his arms were broken by how distorted they bent. So much had gone wrong in such a short time. On top of this recent mess, Hinata and Lee were out there on their own, her chakra wasn't back to normal, they had no way of tracking Shikamaru's team, and worst of all – she had been right. The Sound ninja were here and after Sasuke. They had only seen Dosu and Kin, but Zaku couldn't have been too far behind. Who knew how many more Sound-nin were lurking about this forest.

She slid her bag off her shoulders, searching for her first aid kit. "I'm not as good with this thing as Ino-san," she admitted. "And these bandages are probably soaked but I'm hoping it works just the same."

"Even if I insist I won't need it, I'm guessin' you'll just insist more?" The chuunin gave him a reproachful look. "Fine fine, go work your medical magic."

She disinfected his wounds, though her biggest concern was how much blood he lost. Kiba would put up bravados, but he couldn't hide his exhaustion. "You must be getting cold," she said after a while.

"It's Akamaru I'm worried about. Bring him here?"

She scooped the pup into her arms, resting him atop Kiba's bandaged chest before getting back to work. Akamaru stirred under his master's warmth, licking at his face before nestling into him.

"You never did tell me why you don't like them." Sakura paused, studying Kiba's expression. "Dogs I mean."

The pinkette pursed her lips, rubbing more ointment on his hands. "I never said I didn't like them. Only that I-"

"-avoid them like the plague, yeah yeah I've heard it. I probably sound like a broken record askin' about it again."

"Not even sure if there's any real reason to begin with," she answered offhandedly.

"There's gotta be a reason. One of these days you'll figure it out and tell me I guess," he sighed.

"Well what reason do you have for liking them so much?"

"What's there not to like? Friendly, loyal, loads of fun. You're never lonely when you're with a dog."

"Was Akamaru the first dog you ever had?"

"Yup," smiled Kiba, winking at his companion. "I learnt a lot because of him. We've been through so much together. From the day Ma gave 'em to me."

"I know raising and training ninken is your clan's specialty. I just figured it was because of that that you loved them so much."

"That's how it sort of started," said Kiba. "I always knew I'd have to be the head of my clan one day. But once when I was little, I actually almost ran away."

"You're serious? You?"

The genin grinned. "Well I wasn't exactly the happiest kid after Pa left us. And then Ma gave me Akamaru the day after he took off and I guess that didn't help. Felt like everythin' was comin' at me all at once, you know? Like life got real. I had to start worryin' about growing up and gettin' prepared to lead my clan, and I was just angry about it. I was angry at _him_."

The quiet rush of the river's current hummed through the space as Sakura kept working. It was easy to look at Kiba and forget he had a hard childhood himself. He kept his spirits up through anything. It made him a lot like Naruto in that way.

"It was funny," he continued. "I snuck out one night, real quiet. But I felt like someone was following me, so I ran. I ran as hard and as far as I could before I had to stop. Then I turn around to see if I lost whoever it was, and instead I find this little guy traipsin' along behind me. He even looked happy when I noticed 'em and ran up to me.

"We sat in the dark together for a while. I explained over and over that I was leaving and he should head home but he didn't budge. He just stayed with me, and I knew this dog was never gonna let me go without him. So I took him back home. I swore I was gonna leave the night after when he was tied up somewhere, but I never did. Never really understand why, but I guess deep down I knew it'd make me no different from my dad."

Kiba's glassy eyes grew unfocused as he stared into the roof of the cave. It looked like it was getting darker somehow.

"You think he ever thinks about us, Sakura? Like...if he ever wonders if we're alright?"

She packed what remained of her first aid kit, clapping the lid purposely.

"I'm sure he does...just as much as you think about him."

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

* * *

**Hope you all enjoyed! Comments, thoughts and criticism welcomed!**


	43. Clarity in the Mist

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**POSTED: 06/30/13**

**A/N: It's been half a year since I updated, I know. I won't bore you with the details of why life is crazy busy right now, but I will say that I write as often as I can and I have every intention of finishing this story (no matter how slow the updates). So without further ado... chapter 43. **

**Some subtle mysteries are revealed in this chapter, some explicitly and others are more implicit. The implicit ones may not be so obvious unless you really analyze what's been going on, but I'll be connecting the dots more in later chapters.**

**Recap: When we last saw Sakura she was in a cave with a heavily bleeding Kiba, Kin left Dosu to go after them, and we have yet to hear from Sasuke and co. - who are on a mission ****related to something about crazed boars on steroids that seem to like attacking people randomly.**

* * *

_**Clarity in the Mist**_

She was tired.

Hours had passed while Shizune sat before the Hokage, legs crossed, eyes shut, palms pressed together. She was focusing her chakra the furthest she had ever pushed it. Tsunade mirrored her on the opposite end of the library, blue energy gusting against her ponytails as she channeled the chakra they had been collecting.

A matt of papers and black markings stretched across the space between them, a small white slug in the center of it all. Tsunade failed to mention the purpose of her summoned creature. All she knew was it was supposed to help them solve their latest security issue.

Her chakra was strained but she kept up the pressure. Medical ninja prided themselves on their discipline. Wavering now would be an insult to her craft.

"We're going to ease out," announced Tsunade. It was the first word she had spoken in hours.

"Yes, milady."

With expert precision she pulled back her chakra's intensity, following the pull of her master's chakra. They continued dialing down their energies until the room previously humming with energy became a vacuum of sound.

"Nice work," sighed the Hokage, motioning to her slug.

Shizune huffed, stretching her numbed legs. She did not let the pain show in her face. "What exactly was it that we were doing?"

"You know I can't say until I'm certain it worked." Tsunade rested her palm against the creature. "I didn't detect anything. How about you, Katsuyu?"

"We were very careful with the chakra," she began. "And as thorough as you had instructed, milady. To our knowledge, there is no presence that was out of place."

The blonde sighed, rising to a stance. "I think it's safe to assume they're gone."

"You mean the intrud- I mean, the officials have made their decision?"

"There is no more need for speaking in codes," Tsunade tsked. "Whoever it was that snuck into the village, it seems they've left. And I spent so much time imagining what I'd do when I got my hands on them."

"You really mean it?" Shizune shot to her feet, the pressure burning her muscles. "How do you know this?"

"It was through Katsuyu," explained Tsunade. "Those seals I placed around her augmented my mental connection with her. I funneled our chakra into hundreds of her slugs that I scattered across the village. Each slug was like a receiver emanating minute amounts of chakra that allowed me to widen my chakra senses across the entire village, while keeping it sharp. Together we checked the signatures of every person in the entire Hidden Leaf. No one was foreign."

"You managed to do all this?" gaped the dark-haired medic. "Tsunade-sama... I never imagined… even from you..."

"It took far too long to get these seals right," rebuked the Hokage. "Now the Sound ninja who had infiltrated us are gone. This was not a victory."

Shizune watched the tautness in her master's features. This detection technique was an astonishing feat, even for one of the sannin. Yet it seemed the Hokage was still troubled. "We had suspected they had some sort of jutsu for super-hearing. Now we no longer have to worry about information getting leaked through our meetings. This is good news, milady. Try to stay positive."

Tsunade's gaze remained locked on the floor as she pondered, ignoring the knock to their door. Shizune motioned to usher in their visitor.

"Is this a bad time, Hokage-sama?" asked the ninja who entered.

"Mm? No, Ibiki, you may just be the person I need. Any changes with the prisoner?"

"No, ma'am," he answered huskily, "our guest hasn't revealed anything more we can use. Shall we keep trying?"

"It's been almost a month," she sighed, massaging the bridge of her brow. "Given the importance of this mission, I'm inclined to ask you to continue. Even the smallest scrap of information could be valuable to Kakashi and his team."

Ibiki paused at her statement, smirking to himself when he realized it. "I see we can speak freely now. I've been meaning to ask, have you heard from them yet? It's been almost two days since Kakashi set out. And for Anko even longer."

"The brief warning she sent a week ago was all we received, for obvious reasons."

"Of course," he grunted. "We shall continue our interrogation in full force." There was hint of a smile in his voice. It was times like these that reminded Shizune how suited Ibiki was to his position as commanding officer of their Torture and Interrogation Force. Just then, another man spilled into their study.

"Tsunade-sama you're here," gasped Sato Daisuke, wheezing like he'd run a marathon. "Oh-uh... Ibiki-san... Shizune-san, good day to you."

"Please breathe, Sato-sensei," urged Shizune, ushering him into a chair. Since he had quit medical ninjutsu to take up psychology all those years ago, it was obvious he became out of shape.

"We must act quickly," he panted. "We can't let... it is important that we must... Sakura-san is missing."

"What do you mean missing?" inquired Shizune. "That's impossible, Sakura was only discharged from the hospital a day ago."

"I went to her apartment moments ago. To check on her. The lights were all out. I couldn't find her anywhere in the village. None of the genin have seen her."

"Could she have been abducted?" suggested Ibiki bleakly. "Perhaps our recent intruders had something to do with this."

"No... I mean it couldn't..." Shizune watched their forlorn expressions. "The Sound ninja were here for Sasuke," she maintained. "That was the information we received."

"Intel is not always accurate," warned Ibiki. "Anko could have been mistaken-"

"There was no mistake."

All turned their attention to Tsunade, propped against the desk with her gaze still fixed to the floor. Her slender fingers traced against the timber until they balled into a fist. One strike and a haze of splinters hovered over her incensed glare.

"She went after them."

* * *

Sakura exhaled, her body spent as she collapsed against a tree trunk. It was a miracle she managed to climb out of that cave, using chakra to adhere to the cave walls, out the mouth and up the cliff before she made it to stable ground. It was even more of a feat since Kiba had been strapped to her back the whole time.

She brushed her sweaty forehead, rolling to get a view of him. He had lost consciousness over an hour ago. At first she was relieved he had slept through her brilliant, and closely fatal, attempt to get them out of the cave. But worry fluttered back into her stomach as she watched him.

The sun was going to set soon, and her team needed to regroup before nightfall.

With a groan she got to her feet and heaved Kiba into one of the trees. Height was the only thing that would protect him against a boar attack while she left to find Hinata and Lee. She prayed the foliage she camouflaged his body with would hide him from any Sound ninja until she returned.

And if she never made it back? Well, he'd have a better chance of getting help out in the forest instead of some godforsaken cave. She was thankful she could do at least that for him. Plus he had Akamaru.

The girl gave a light scratch to the pup's ear as he sat beside his master. Reading canine expressions wasn't her forte, but she imagined he was worried too. "He'll be alright," she said, the words feeling foreign on her tongue. Kiba had lost too much blood. But perhaps the iron pill she forced down his throat earlier would help. "Everything will be alright."

She kept her mind on the task at hand. Follow the river upstream until she came to her team's battleground with the Sound ninja and go from there. That was the plan. She couldn't think about after. About what she'd find. If Hinata and Lee were still alive. Whether they could even continue their mission after all this. Or if Sasuke had already been taken away.

Akamaru suddenly stirred, his frame taut as he fixed his gaze into the distance. Just as abruptly his eyes were on Sakura now, biting and pulling at her glove.

"What's wrong?"

But she was no Kiba. She couldn't make sense of the string of growls that followed. Was it the enemy that had Akamaru so anxious? Or maybe he was actually excited, and he had sensed their teammates approaching them. She didn't know how he could have detected anyone in this scent-less forest.

"I don't know what you're trying to say," she offered. "You want us to run away? Get closer? What?"

Her eyes scanned the terrain below them when she started to get lightheaded. Sakura gripped the tree to steady herself, the world leaking onto itself in a whirlpool of color. That just made her dizzier.

She decided to sit, though it was more of a collapse as she fought to pacify her growing headache. Her eyes began to burn, and her mouth felt dry. There was a sharp barking noise that made her cringe. Her head was so heavy, all she wanted to do was sleep. But how could she with this stupid dog yelling at her. She half-considered slitting its throat to shut it up...

A deep pain shot through her arm, and suddenly the world was clear again. It was like getting shaken awake from a dream. Her eyes found Akamaru's as he released her arm from his teeth. It was his chakra that pulled her out of whatever trance she had been in.

"Genjutsu," she whispered.

Akamaru leapt onto another tree, the kunoichi following after him as they sped through the forest. It was only a hundred feet before the canine halted, Sakura unsurprised by what he had led her to.

"Kin of the Sound," said Sakura, still perched on a tree branch, "I forgot you used sound waves to carry your genjutsu."

"Well look at you, so bold and mighty," scoffed the dark-haired girl. "Careful not to get too cocky. I've got you in better hearing distance now."

"Where are my friends?" demanded the Leaf-nin. "What've you done to-"

Sakura and Akamaru darted off their tree, missing Kin's barrage of senbon. But these were different from their first encounter earlier that day. Some of these needles had bells strung to them. She had heard enough about Shikamaru's match with Kin during the chuunin preliminaries to know they were meant to help cast her genjutsu.

For good measure, Sakura performed a "kai" to release herself from the effects. It was a temporary solution until she could figure out something better.

Kunai in hand, she charged toward the Sound ninja. Kin only retreated, throwing more and more senbon as the pair of kunoichi darted through the trees in their game of cat and mouse. Kin was determined to keep this a strictly long-ranged battle, no matter how fast Sakura moved. The pinkette tried hitting her with shuriken next to slow her, but her showers of needles only deflected them.

Another barrage came, only this time Sakura couldn't dodge in time. More senbon rained down on her, and all she could do was blindly shield her head from them. Her body was skewered in every direction, each thread of metal weighing like lead on her bones.

Her calf stung in what felt like a wave of fire, and her body felt light again. She tumbled into a bush to avoid more senbon, wincing as Akamaru removed his teeth from her flesh. It was the second time he had released her from a genjutsu. She scooped him into her arms and fled the battleground.

The canine squirmed in her arms as they escaped further and further away from Kin. He began wiggling so violently, Sakura was forced to stop.

"I'm not leaving Kiba behind with her," she exasperated, reading the dog's reluctance. She set him down next to her before beginning to rip some of the needles from her body. "I need to figure out how I'm going to beat Kin, but I can't do that while avoiding her senbon and genjutsu all at the same time. I'm just going to get caught again and I'm sure you don't want that either."

She sat herself on the tree branch, massaging the bridge of her nose. Kin's battle style favored mid to long range combat. Fighting in close range was the key to her defeat. After being able to scale the cliff, it seemed her chakra control was returning at least. But with little water in the forest, Sakura couldn't rely on any water style jutsu unless she forced her way back to the cliff and the river. It was a shame; a distraction with water clones would have worked perfectly to get her closer to Kin. And if hurling her own weapons didn't work, what was left for her to do?

Her leg tickled from the soft wad of flesh lapping at her skin. She sighed, giving a light tap to the pup's head. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have snapped at you. You did save me twice today." He stopped licking her, looking up imploringly. "I wish you could tell me how you knew she was there. Might help give us, I don't know, an edge or something."

The pup's frame stiffened and Sakura spun in place, half-expecting another barrage of senbon soaring at them. She nearly fell out of their tree when she felt the wave of hot slime slather her forearm.

"You did not just throw up on me," she cringed, scraping her drenched arm against bark. Despite her repulsed expression, Akamaru seemed quite pleased with himself.

She continued to watch Akamaru, all the while yearning for Kiba's company, for his help out of this mess. She pictured Kiba, armed with his battle grin, transforming his canine into his splitting image as they spiraled into a Fang Over Fang. That was the Inuzuka way of making clones. It always worked so well for them.

And she began to wonder... couldn't she do the same? Her thoughts jumped to Naruto who, once upon a time, had transformed a giant toad into the form of the Nine Tailed Fox. She knew she could work with something less flashy.

Her heart thrummed in her throat as she relayed her plan to Akamaru. He seemed as excited as she was when she finished, and she took it to mean he had understood.

Placing the canine in her lap, she made her hand signs, and in the next moment she was striding after her newly formed clone. It was bizarre to think that Akamaru was the pink-haired girl before her, while she herself was on all fours posing as the dog. But it was the best shot they had at taking the kunoichi by surprise.

Soon they spotted the Sound-nin, lumbering in their direction. Sakura watched her attack Akamaru, her senbon finding him when she got within range. Akamaru moved in a zigzag to evade some of them, darting between the trees.

Kin retreated as he drew closer, throwing her senbon at random into the surrounding foliage. Sakura, crouched in a tree, watched her movements intently. She guessed Kin was prepping more bells for a field-wide genjutsu through the bell sounds. But Sakura was ready, refocusing her chakra to the water she had forced in her ears that was a barrier to sound transmission. A technique she had used against Sound ninja before.

Akamaru staggered around a tree, holding his Sakura transformation despite being skewered in all directions. With a last ditch effort, he bounded forward when his knees buckled to the ground.

"My needles resonate with my chakra," jeered the Sound nin, walking toward the body crumpled on the floor. "Even if the sounds don't pull you into my genjutsu, the needles in your body will. Vibrations, you see."

The fallen kunoichi exploded in a puff of smoke, Akamaru's true form taking its place. Kin whipped her head around in time to catch a heel to the face from the real Sakura, no longer transformed. The chunin followed up with a fury of blows, thinking of the fallen canine as she dealt them. And just as suddenly as Sakura's ambush began, it had halted.

She was vaguely aware that her body stopped. She attempted movement, but it was like struggling against quicksand – she willed herself to move but there was some force fixing her limbs in place. It was an odd sensation, like being stuck between being able and unable to move at all.

She watched her fisted hands poised in front of her, demanding their cooperation under her glare. And before her eyes the image of them evaporated, as if they had never existed there. Her head was swimming, and she felt a rush of nausea before her senses returned to her present. The water she had focused against her eardrums uselessly trickled down her ear lobes.

She was suddenly aware that she was on the ground, her arms fixed behind her back. Her panicked gaze whirled about the space. What had happened?

"My genjutsu," said Kin, answering the girl's unasked question. "Didn't I say my needles' touch carried my jutsu?"

_But I didn't... _She did a quick check of herself. She had removed all of the needles from her body before pursing Kin.

"Vibrations," repeated Kin impatiently. "The genjutsu can be carried by sound waves, which are vibrations. But I've extended it since our encounter in the Forest of Death. The genjutsu vibrations can travel through solids, from the needle to whatever it's lodged in. That includes a person's body. And that includes the very trees you've been hiding in all this time."

It was almost impossible to believe, how inescapable Kin's genjutsu had become. Just standing on the battlefield left you vulnerable.

"I can finally put this mission to rest," groaned the Sound-nin, taking Sakura's silence as invitation to gloat. "It's been so annoying, luring you Leaf brats here. And you had no idea, being so concerned about your _Saaasuke_."

"But you are after him," spluttered Sakura. "I saw Zaku's note."

"You've been in the forest too long," laughed Kin. "Zaku hasn't been anywhere near Konoha since he escaped. Sweetheart, you have no clue what's been going on at all."

"You're out to capture Sasuke," maintained the chunin through Kin's cackling. "Why else would you be here?"

"You mean why else would we have infiltrated the Hidden Leaf almost a month ago? Spying as you lay half-dead in a hospital. Why else would we have followed you on your ridiculous mission? And lured you out to this exact location?"

"You didn't lure us anywhere," spat Sakura, moving to her feet but falling backwards. "We followed Sasuke's team. Kiba tracked them up until..." She froze, reading the glint in Kin's dark gaze. "You were... the woman. The one who told us about the boars, and the... the End Region."

Kin smirked.

"How did you know? How could you have known to show up at just the right time?"

"Orochimaru-sama is truly great," she breathed. "I failed in the chunin exam mission, but he rewarded me for my loyalty with power, power only he could bestow. The Serum saw to that. Now I can do what no other in our fold can. And pick up sound waves from miles away."

A manic grin fractured her features. Sakura shuddered, disturbed by her reaction, by the damage of Kin's newfound super-hearing. And by her thoughts of the snake-sannin.

"I was able to hear your conversation, that you were turning back. So I created the scene of a boar attack, knowing full well you lot would come to my aid. I told you where to go, and you had no idea you were journeying ever closer to our hideout. We kept our distance of course, out of the range you instructed your Byakugan-user to hold. Until you decided to widen it too suddenly for us to escape. So I charged."

"And..." Sakura closed her eyes, at war with the panic that threatened to erupt on her face. As she came to her conclusion. "...you say you weren't after _Sasuke_ this time..."

"Not Sasuke," answered Kin.

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek, tasting iron. Pain was her only companion now, to hold her hand and ground her in the moment. "So it– you and Dosu have been in the village for an entire month just watching me- us? Was that your only reason for being there?"

"We _might_ have had other orders," taunted Kin. "But you're in no position to interrogate me, Leaf ninja. I have a mission to complete."

A hand yanked Sakura by the hair, urging her to her feet. The pain was good. It kept her thoughts from wandering toward _him_. "You couldn't have predicted we would follow after Sasuke," she went on breathlessly. "Or that his team would be assigned to investigate the boars in this area."

"A happy coincidence."

Sakura thought of Zaku's note. Kin claimed it wasn't from him, but this arrangement couldn't have been a coincidence could it? "It's not a fluke that the boars' territory is near your hideout. You have something to do with them."

Kin shoved Sakura, the chunin digging her heels in the dirt. Kin drove her forward still, finally waving a fist to her jaw in frustration. Sakura collapsed.

"A genjutsu'll make you more cooperative," huffed Kin, hands clasped together.

Sakura pulled harder against the wire binding her arms, her flesh burning. Her legs failed against the dirt to get some distance. But her head was swimming again, as she felt a foreign force swirling inside her, distorting her chakra flow. The mist of the forest seemed to be thickening around her, wispy but as powerful as a wave crashing upon her consciousness, her sense of self crumbling beneath it...

When she awoke she was on her back, breathing heavily though she didn't know why. With a groan, she rubbed her clammy forehead, noticing the bloody grooves in her wrists, where she had been bound.

She pushed herself up quickly, searching for the pair of slitted yellow eyes she had been dreading to see. A palm rested on her shoulder, making her wince.

"Whoa whoa, take it easy, Sakura. It's just me. It's Shikamaru."

She looked into his face, taking in his dark eyes, the gash in his cheek, the grime peppering his face. Kin was on the ground, Chouji tying the last knot in the ropes binding her entire body.

"This is a genjutsu," she breathed, shaking her head against the images, knowing they were too good to be true. Her eyes began to burn. "You're showing me what I want to see. This isn't-"

"Sakura, I promise this is real," said another, and now Sakura's widened gaze was on Hinata. The girl placed her hand on Sakura's, which she slapped away, jerking to her feet before collapsing against a tree.

"Easy," said Shikamaru, palms raised in a gesture of surrender. "That was some helluvah genjutsu you were fightin', Sakura. You gotta rest."

She didn't answer.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Chouji, now standing beside his best friend.

"She's just shaken up," he muttered. "Sakura, I'm Nara Shikamaru. We were in the same class in the Ninja Academy. On the very first mission we ever went on together as ninja, it was a training mission. And you were the first to see through a genjutsu on the map Guy-sensei gave us. Next to Kurenai-sensei, you're the best person I know who can see through genjutsu without a Sharingan. I know you can decide for yourself if this is real or not."

Sakura took a measured breath, sifting through the fog in her mind. "A principle of genjustu," she started, "is that visions and memories can be implanted, but not extracted. Only someone on that training mission would have known those things about the map. You... you really are Shikamaru-san?"

"I am. But what the hell, Sakura? Hinata told us why you guys followed us out here. You've really gone too far this time."

"Shikamaru," hushed Chouji, "now's not the best time for that, don't you think? She's still..."

The chuunin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Anyway, we might as well debrief you on what's happened. Unless anyone thinks she's too fragile to hear that too."

Chouji's cheeks flashed scarlet before nodding, and he disappeared into the forest.

"Dosu has been beaten," reported Hinata. "It was all thanks to Lee really. He used his Hidden Lotus."

"His attack made a bit of a bang," droned Shikamaru, limping toward a stone to sit on. His thigh was heavily bandaged, padded with the blood from a what looked like a very deep wound. "Chouji and I investigated and found Hinata."

"I-I told them everything," she admitted, almost guiltily. "And we went looking for you and Kiba along the river. We detected your chakra signature in combat when we got close enough, and I spotted you with my Byakugan. That Sound kunoichi was placing you under a genjutsu when we finally arrived."

Hinata's features were taut. Sakura noticed the splotches of blood on her sleeves, knowing it wasn't hers. "Where is Lee-san?"

The Hyuuga girl's face crumbled.

"He's right here," called Chouji, carrying a limp body into the clearing. "He's all right," he added hastily, when he saw Sakura's reaction. "I promise he's okay."

Her gaze lingered on Lee, on his distorted limbs, the drying blood caking his body that made his jumpsuit look more red than green. She swallowed the bile rising in her throat. She almost couldn't bring herself to ask, "Why aren't Naruto and Sasuke here?"

Shikamaru and Chouji shared a look that brought the bile back up her gullet. "Carrying on with our mission."

There was an awkward pause. Chouji added, "They're in the village that borders the sea. Defending the civilians in the event of-"

"Don't say anymore," said Shikamaru bluntly. "Not until we decide what we're doing about this."

"About me you mean," understood Sakura. Shikamaru was never one to betray anything but annoyance. Any divergence from that was always subtle, less subtle than what she was seeing now. And she knew he was angry with her. He had every reason to be.

"I only wanted to warn Sasuke," she explained. _Not that it mattered_, she wanted to say. _Because he was never their target._ "You know about the Sound-nin now. Our mission is over."

He sighed again. "Chouji, go back to the place we found Kiba and bring him here will 'ya?" He nodded and dashed into the forest, Hinata hesitating before deciding to follow too. Kiba was her teammate after all.

"What will you do now?"

"Go back to the village," Sakura answered mechanically. "You don't seem to want us here."

His eyebrows furrowed, looking almost confused. But he nodded nonetheless. "You have to understand where I'm coming from here." His tone seemed gentler this time. "Kiba's unconscious, you just got out of the hospital, and Lee needs to be put _in _a hospital. It'll be a miracle if you even made it to Konoha. I don't want you tempted to join our mission, not when it would decrease our chance of success if you did. I'd say different if you could actually fight with us. We could have used the extra muscle."

A tense silence hung between them, and Sakura could tell he was watching her for a reaction. But it was hard to focus on a thing he said. Hard because her thoughts kept straying from the clearing, because they kept circling back to her conversation with Kin. And because in the shadowy mist that encircled them, she could picture a glowing pair of snake-like eyes, and fangs peaking through paled lips in a grin, a tongue licking hungry in her direction.

But Shikamaru couldn't read these thoughts on her blank face, couldn't understand the reason she was so eager to leave Orochimaru's territory, and make it safely to Konoha before he could get her.

"We'll move to the river," Shikamaru was saying, once Chouji and Hinata came back with Kiba. They had also recovered Akamaru. "Sakura will have to make some water clones if you're gonna hope to carry all these guys back to Kono-"

A low-pitched squeal ripped across the space, shocking Shikamaru to silence as the shinobi straightened to full alert. Sakura whirled about the space to find the source of that guttural sound, spotting Shikamaru rolling his eyes beside her.

"Get ready for your Human Boulder, Chouji. These overgrown pigs don't know when to quit do they?"

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

* * *

**A/N: I re-wrote this about 3 times before getting it the way I wanted. Next update should be coming some time this summer. In the meantime, thanks so much to those sticking with me through these sporadic updates. You, the readers, are truly the reason I keep trying and I would give up altogether if not for you. Please let me know what you've been liking or disliking about the story so far. It helps me know what I should do more or less of.  
**

**Also, today almost exactly marks 4 years since I started publishing this story! Here's to finishing before another four years are up! **


	44. Something Worth Fighting For

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**POSTED****: 07/13/13**

**A/N: This chapter was so fun to write, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I left two important messages at the bottom. One is about a discontinuity between something you will read here and canon. The second is about my next update. Enjoy chapter 44!**

* * *

_**Something Worth Fighting For**_

"How is this fair at all?" roared Kiba, flailing his bandaged arms at Shikamaru.

The chuunin scratched his forehead, knowing any objections he made would fall on deaf ears. He was beginning to regret getting Kiba medical attention.

"You drag us along on your mission in this village – we're literally right in the middle of it – and you sideline us like some greenhorned genin who'd just get in your way."

"K-Kiba," started Hinata, "that isn't what they meant by-"

"That's exactly what they mean," snarled Kiba. "You're too nice a person to tell, Hinata, but ninja are always treating our squad like this. Like we're only good for hunting things down but too weak to go for the kill, and I'm sick of it."

"That's not where I'm comin' from, man," droned Shikamaru. He threw a glance at Sakura for some assistance, who had been painfully silent throughout this one-sided shouting match. She avoided his gaze.

"Listen, I can't get into this right now but it's for your own good, if only to keep the higher-ups outta this. I was appointed leader of this mission, and I hate to pull rank on you but I know you can respect at least that. I didn't come here to argue, so if you'd stand aside..."

Shikamaru sidestepped the fuming genin, offering a quick clap to the shoulder before limping into the sand-strewn tower.

Sakura finally relaxed, settling herself on the ground. The sand was cool against her sprawled legs, the faintest taste of salt on her tongue as she inhaled. She had never been to the seashore. This coastline seemed more of a port than an actual village, the cluster of buildings an appendix to the dock that stretched over a mile.

The beach had an eerily sensual glow under the moonlight, standing just outside the range of the docks, barren save for the lighthouse Shikamaru had just entered. It was out of the way. Something Kiba took personally.

"Thanks for your help back there by the way."

Sakura debated not answering, knowing he would be furious no matter how she responded. "It's Shikamaru's call. He's leader of this mission, it wouldn't have mattered if I argued too."

"He doesn't outrank _you_. You're a chuunin just like him. You could have convinced him, you just didn't feel like it."

"It goes against every bit of good judgment to join them in defending this village," she maintained. "Hinata's chakra is low from using her Byakugan all day, and mine isn't doing much better. We couldn't even manage carrying you and Lee to Konoha on our own, not with those boars around. That's the only reason we came here with Shikamaru and Chouji. To rest and get Lee medical care... get _both_ of you medical care."

Kiba's eyes narrowed. "I already saw a doctor. I'm fine."

"Having two broken arms-"

"_-_they're fractures_-"_

"Having two _fractured_ arms isn't fine. And barely giving the medics ten minutes to make your casts after you gained consciousness before stuffing yourself with painkillers and pushing your way out the hospital to follow us here isn't medical care."

"These things are so heavy they're practically built-in clubs. Weapons _and_ shields for my arms. I can fight. And so what if your chakra's low? Shikamaru's team is in the same boat. Your own teammates are on this mission. Woulda thought you'd care more."

Sakura jumped to her feet, trolling for a comeback but finding none.

"You don't even know where they are right now."

"They're somewhere near the village entrance," she mumbled. "Chouji went looking for them. To give Sasuke some extra protection in case of more Sound involvement."

"Then Shikamaru will regroup with them, they'll fight to defend the village from some attack that's coming, and we sit out here where it's safe. How can you stomach that?"

She turned away, settling herself on a rock near the tower. "You have no idea what this means, if we get involved."

"So we might die – nothing we haven't dealt with before."

"There are worse things..."

Kiba stopped himself from answering right away, realization dawning on him. "What are you so afraid of?"

Sakura shivered, wrapping herself with her arms from the chilly sea breeze licking against her skin. "You heard what Shikamaru said," she started, finally finding her voice. "About the higher-ups. Do you know what the penalty is for what we're doing versus what you want us to do?"

"What are you saying?"

"By the time we get back to the village, they'd have known we left without permission. So far that's all we've technically done. It's bad, but as a first offense it wouldn't mean anything too severe – a temporary pay-cut, maybe community service.

"But if we fought with Shikamaru's team, that counts as unauthorized interference with an ongoing mission. It's grounds for probation, suspension even, and that stays with you forever. A mark like that will call every decision you make as a shinobi into question. Any promotion will be scrutinized. It could be nearly impossible to ever ascend in rank-"

"This is what has you spooked?" gaped Kiba. "_This_? I'd stay a genin forever if it meant protecting my friends. Protecting innocent lives. There are some things worth fighting for. I can't believe you're even- I can barely look at you right now!"

Sand crunched beneath him as he tramped toward the water, a bandaged Akamaru at his heels. Sakura kept her eyes on her toes, absently making tracks in the sand.

Kiba is hotheaded, she told herself as she stroked the sand, too hotheaded to see things clearly. It would have been one thing if they could have actually helped. But in their state, they would only get in the way. They would be taking such risks upon themselves, with no real benefit in sight. Staying out of the way... this was the right thing to do for the mission.

She watched the paths she had created in the sand, snake-like tracks intertwined at her feet.

Her heel hastily slashed across it.

Light fell upon them as Shikamaru exited the tower, a bag under his arm.

"-it was a beauty, it was," called the elderly man walking out with him, "over 100 pounds and a temper 's nasty as a cat dunked in ice. They paid a heavy penny for 'em down at the market too. Bought myself a quality harpoon, ended up catchin' another one twice the size!"

"That's some story," said Shikamaru, tone leaded with more boredom than usual.

Another man came into view, tiptoeing out of his father's shadow. "Oto-san was a great fisherman in his day," he said.

"That I was, but ain't no one as good a hunter as me boy." The man gave a toothless grin, patting his son on the shoulder heartily.

Sakura watched as the younger man sheepishly reached inside for another bag, heaving it into Shikamaru's other arm. He had a slight build for such a praised hunter.

"Food pills, ninja tools... and I threw in some blankets for yuh that I expect to be returned," said the father. "Made from the hides of me son's game," he added, puffing his bony chest. "Beast was as big as he was, and he took 'em down with nothin' but a fishing knife he happened to have on 'em!"

With that, the pair of men escaped into their lighthouse.

Shikamaru hobbled toward them on his one good leg, laden with supplies. "He seemed chatty," quipped Kiba, taking in Shikamaru's gruff exterior with a smirk. Sakura hadn't realized the boy had rejoined them.

"Don't even," groaned the chuunin, dropping the bags before them with a huff. He sat on a rock near Sakura. "I didn't even ask for blankets. I swear he only added those just so he could brag about them."

"I woulda gladly lent you a hand with him, buddy. Too bad it's against our orders to get involved with your big mission."

"How did you know to find these here?" asked Sakura, hoping to save them all from another argument.

"It was in Tsunade-sama's message," said Shikamaru, choosing to ignore Kiba as well. "It's a pretty genius system she used. She was expecting some information to come in about the disturbances here, but couldn't wait to have that come back before sending us out. So she gave us this summoning scroll... it's kinda like the ones from the chuunin exams. If you opened one in the Forest of Death, it would summon a ninja to you and they'd knock you out, remember?

"We're too far away for a human summons, but small animals are perfect. She instructed us to open this scroll before sunset the day after we left. When we did that today, one of Kakashi-sensei's ninken popped up. Told us the village where the river of the End Region meets the sea was gonna be attacked, and our new orders were to stop investigating the boars and defend the village till back-up arrived."

"Except you split up," said Sakura, hugging herself tightly. "You sent Naruto and Sasuke to guard the village first."

He nodded. "We heard a huge explosion or something and we needed to check it out. Naruto and Sasuke move faster than me with my bum leg, so I sent them ahead of us while we investigated. Ended up finding Hinata with Lee. The boom we heard was from Lee's Hidden Lotus."

The wind whistled in their ears, kicking up wisps of sand as the gust passed. "Nippy isn't it? Maybe the old man really was tryin' to help with those blankets." Shikamaru extracted a sheet of furry black from a bag, weighing it in his arms before tossing one to Hinata. "I can hear your teeth chattering from here," he said to her startled look. "You too, Sakura. There's one left."

"I'm not the one who lost a pint of blood earlier today," she said, a pointed glare to Kiba. "Give it to him."

"Take it for your team. They're the ones doing the actual fighting."

Shikamaru sighed. "They're too heavy for me to carry all the way to the village. I'm happy with some food pills for stamina and kunai to lay some extra traps. Just take it and stop being such a drag."

He threw the blanket onto Kiba's back, the boy settling into its warmth before freezing. Akamaru's fur stood on end as Kiba jerked it off his body and it fell to the ground. He had to stop himself from kicking it, instead giving the blanket a disdained look. The other ninja got to their feet.

"It's from a boar," he explained, tone laced in disgust. "How'd a wimp like that even- the hide he used for this came from one o' those crazy boars. I can't pick up any scents off it. I can barely smell you anymore either, Hinata. Take it off."

The Hyuga gave her blanket a wary glance, still clinging to it. "But it's so cold..."

"Look, you just started to get your scent back after we got out boar territory and it's going away again. I wanna be able to smell where you are," he insisted. "We got lucky last time but I won't be separated from you again with no way of finding you."

"Akamaru found Kin," blurted Sakura, drawing everyone's attention. "I-I meant to ask. When you were unconscious, Akamaru was able to sense where Kin was before we even knew she was close by. He couldn't have smelled her?"

Akamaru gazed up at his master, muttering incoherent barks to the boy. "Mhm, oh I see. Freakin' brilliant, buddy. I didn't even think Dynamic Marking could work like that."

"Dynamic Marking?" asked Shikamaru.

"Yeah, it's part of our newest technique. Akamaru hacks up fluids from his stomach and marks enemies with it, so he can find them anywhere. He splattered Kin in the face with it some time before we fell into the river, and I guess it worked even in boar territory."

Sakura gave the pup a quick scratch behind the ear. "That's what you were trying to tell me," she said, recalling how Akamaru spat up on her arm after she had asked him this same question.

"These boars," muttered Shikamaru, "what kind of science experiments are they?"

"You don't think they're endogenous to the area?" questioned Hinata. "This is the End Region, after all. This location has always been prone to strange things."

"This is a recent development," answered the chuunin, "and in a concentrated area too. We'd already established a perimeter past which you can't find any boars. We don't know why, it just is. That's another part of the mystery. Then there's those Sound ninja... what are the odds that they'd be here too?"

Sakura bit her lip, sensing Shikamaru's thoughts were in line with her own. It couldn't have been a coincidence, the Sound ninja and the boars. But the kunoichi had knowledge her friends didn't. They didn't know Orochimaru's hideout was nearby. They didn't know the Sound were really targeting Sakura. And they didn't know they had been following her before she even left Konoha.

And then it clicked.

Kin and Dosu had been following them all this time, even before they were in boar territory. Yet Kiba and Akamaru didn't notice. They couldn't detect they were being followed, which was unusual for tracking specialists. Moreover, the woman they had come across who directed them to this region was Kin herself, whom Kiba stated had no smell. They took it to mean she had just had a run-in with a boar.

But she hadn't. She had chosen her words carefully enough not to lie – how Orochimaru knew to instruct his agents to do this in Sakura's presence, she could not think about - and looking back, Sakura knew Kin had only staged it so they _assumed_ a boar had attacked the woman.

So Kin had no smell even before they entered the End Region. Sakura glanced at Hinata, clad in the scent-erasing boar hide, and it was clear that both Kin and Dosu had been using some sort of essence from the boars to keep their scents masked before they set out to Konoha to spy. It could have been that they simply discovered these boars and their properties just as Sakura and her team had, and decided to take advantage of it. But somehow, she doubted that theory.

Her stomach turned in on itself. She knew whom those science experiments belonged to...

"I gotta run," said Shikamaru, pinching the bridge of his brow. "Told Chouji to bring Naruto and Sasuke to our rendezvous point on the main road and I shouldn't keep 'em waiting."

"You will be okay, won't you?" said Hinata, watching him gather up the bags.

He shrugged. "Tell yuh what, if it looks like we really are in way over our heads, feel free to jump in and save our asses will yuh?" He forced a smirk in her direction before heading toward the docks.

"I still hate this," said Kiba, kicking the sand. The boar-hide still lay strewn on the ground. "You can't be cool with it either, you just can't. These people are our friends, Sakura. You remember what that means, don't you?"

She buried her head in her arms, avoiding his eyes.

Everything she had gone through until this point, this entire year she had been a ninja, had been about friendship. It molded her into a person who fought to defend her friends above all else. Since day one the message was clear, summed up by Kakashi himself in their first training session as Team 7.

"_Those who disobey the rules are trash. Those who abandon their friends are lower than trash."_

Sakura had always been a good student, and she learnt this lesson well. It was... it is an unquestionable part of her. It was what drove her into this situation in the first place, catalyzed by one mysterious message she found in her bedroom.

And as she sat there, numbed more by her warring feelings than the cold, she was finally able to see, finally able to admit it to herself.

Rule breaking wasn't the thing holding her back from tearing across that beach to find Naruto and Sasuke. It had been something else all this time, something much harder to overcome.

Her head snapped upwards at the words, "I'm following after them." But it didn't come from the person she expected.

"H-Hinata-san?" gawked Sakura. "You can't be..."

Her pearly eyes carried a quiet ferocity as she looked into them. Was this really Hinata? "Kiba's right, he's been right all this time. So were you, Sakura, when you fought to warn Sasuke. And Lee... Lee recognized how important this was. He gave up his hearing to defend us... to defend me. Our friends are in danger, and I won't back down because I'm afraid. That won't be my ninja way. I won't be that person anymore."

Kiba swung his opened palms together, clapping awkwardly. "I did _not_ know you had that in you," he laughed. "Hear, hear."

"What are you saying?" Sakura's head spun from one genin to the other, both rising to their feet.

"A little slow on the uptake today, aren'tcha? Our little rat pack is goin' to war!"

* * *

Before she realized what was happening, Sakura found herself alone save for the lighthouse towering behind her. Hinata muttered a quick apology that was almost completely drowned by Kiba's battle cry, before they both raced across the beach. There was enough moonlight for her to absently watch them, as they finally disappeared behind a sand dune.

She grabbed the last boar-hide blanket before disappearing under it, hoping it could shield her from more than just the cold. Why couldn't she do it? Why couldn't she move? She wanted to follow them. She didn't want to leave them alone. To be left alone. Sakura whispered a curse to herself. Was she really that afraid of... _him?_

She didn't know how long she had drowned herself under the covers before snapping out of them, eyes trained on the sand dune she saw Kiba and Hinata climb around. She could have sworn she heard footsteps.

She swept the water from her eyes. She couldn't let them see her like this. When no one appeared she rose to get a better view of them.

A wave of black rode over the sand dune, crashing swiftly toward her. Her breath hitched, instincts overtaking her as the blanket in her hands fell to be replaced by shuriken.

From their encounters, she knew the hides of these manic boars were leathery thick, so direct slits into the jugular were the surest way to defeat them quickly. Thankful for the moonlight she took aim, using one shuriken at a time to strike down as many as she could from a distance.

They approached, and she decided to try something different. Hands clasped, Sakura stretched her senses to the sea behind her. The seawater she resonated her energies with was denser than what she was used to, and she hoped it wouldn't take too much extra chakra to control.

She weaved her hand signs, relieved her chakra was cooperating with her this time. "Water Style: Water Vortex!"

The column of water spiraled toward the beasts, toppling them off their feet as it enveloped them. In a burst of inspiration, Sakura remolded her chakra, forcing the spiral to swoop for a second time before forcing it into a wave that dragged the boars into the sea.

Kunai in hand, she charged at the stragglers, weaving around them and slashing at their necks. Their movements felt awkward to her, perhaps because of the sand. It made it easy to out-maneuver them with their reactions so slow. This was not at all like the beasts in the forests, whose purposeful technique made it so it was as if they had been trained – _designed_ – to kill.

She hastily dealt with the remaining boar before turning back to the ocean, noticing with relief that no animals had reappeared onto the beach. So these pigs couldn't swim.

Panic rose with the adrenaline in her system as she processed what was going on. Was this the attack Tsunade had warned them about? It was the boars that were the threat? And why had they made it so far from the village? She felt a pinch in her gut as her next theory came to mind, and she raced up the sand dune.

Had her friends already been overwhelmed by the attack?

She couldn't help thinking how stupid she was, how cowardly. How could she have left them to deal with this, _how_? It was one thing to leave Shikamaru's team, but when Hinata found the courage to do what she couldn't, why hadn't she followed them? How could she have left them to charge straight into danger? Kiba had been right - there were some things worth fighting for. They were here because of her. What happened to them would be her responsibility. Her _fault_. There would be no redemption for her if...

An ocean of black spilled into her vision when she got to the top, the ivory tusks glinting sickly under the lunar light. There was a disturbance in the thick of it, something the beasts seemed to be murderously fixed upon. She didn't need to find the head of brown hair to know what it was.

With the sea too far behind her to rely on Water Style, Sakura gripped two kunai in her hands and went to work. Her body moved like a well-oiled machine, darting and spinning between the creatures before spraying the air with their blood. The sand stank of iron, a red carpet of welcome to the massacre.

Her arms started to ache from the intensity of her constant swings. And then every so often, a boar's tusk would graze her, and the reminder of eminent death stoked her will to continue. But even as she kept going, it felt like she was barely making a dent in their numbers.

Just when it seemed like she could not continue, hope swelled in her chest when she caught a flash of navy blue between the folds of black. Three boars collapsed simultaneously, putting the girl in full view.

"Hinata-san!" called Sakura, unable to stop herself from smiling as she nailed another porcine behemoth.

"You're here!" she answered, and Sakura knew she was smiling too.

"Where's Kiba-sa-"

A group of boars rushed into the space between them in a fresh wave. Sakura watched in horror as Hinata dove into the middle of it, her battle cries the only evidence that she had managed to stay alive in such a thing.

Sakura buried her kunai into these animals, fury blazing within her as she imagined the small girl taking on creatures twice her size. In what felt like no time, Hinata emerged once again, the previous wave of boars at her feet.

"H-How are you...?" Sakura leapt out of the path of a charging boar, hurling her kunai into its throat and stopping it dead.

Hinata was closest, pulling the bloodied kunai from the pig before tossing it back to Sakura. "Kiba," Hinata exhaled before the chuunin got to pose her question again. "They're going to kill him."

Sakura didn't ask how she knew this despite her Byakugan being inactive, nodding as she followed the Hyuuga into the next hoard of boars.

It took a shorter time than expected to find Kiba. Hinata suppressed a scream when she spotted him, the casts around his bloodied hands ripped open so he could grip his kunai. He had a gash above his brow, a river of red completely blinding him in one eye. It was a miracle he could fight well enough in his condition to stay alive, and that miracle was a transformed Akamaru.

Kiba's Man-Beast clone tore through the line of boars as they got too close to his master, twirling to a halt at his side before jumping to try again. The beasts were deranged, fixated on the pair of fighters as if they were their sole offending targets on this beach. Hinata was right, they really were going to kill him.

"Try that again, you overgrown pork chops! I'll give you somethin' to squeal home about!"

The girls fought to reach Kiba before the next wave, but the herd was too dense. To their horror, the genin disappeared beneath black before sailing into the air, rotating as he reached his peak.

"Fang Over Fang!"

Akamaru followed suit, and two tornados of grey riveted through the fray, sand exploding where their attacks crashed to the ground before rebounding into more creatures.

They skidded to a halt side-by-side, Kiba collapsing to his knees, groaning as he cupped his sopping hands. Sakura barely glimpsed him before the black enveloped him again.

"Throw me!" screeched Hinata. "Throw me to him!"

Sakura quenched her drying throat with a gulp, nodding to the girl beside her before they both leapt into the air. She focused as much chakra as she could to the muscles in her arms as she began spinning Hinata. Naruto made this look so easy when he did it with his shadow clones...

The pinkette released her with one final swing, her trajectory being the place Sakura last saw Kiba. She couldn't look to see if Hinata got to him, eyes trained on the mob of swine she was landing in. Her knuckles stung from the intensity of her grip, as she slashed through them with renewed fervor.

She had to get to Kiba... She had to get to Kiba... _Slash, swing_... She had to get to Kiba... He had to be alive...

Her chest collided with a boar's snout, her body tumbling through sand. A spiral of grey caught the next animal before it could trample her, Kiba appearing before her. Except she knew it wasn't him.

"You must be sick of saving me by now," she huffed, Akamaru sparing her a glance before diving into another boar.

Akamaru wouldn't stray far from Kiba. And if Akamaru was here then...

"Where are you, Kiba-san? Kiba!"

"Sakura!" called Hinata, and Sakura swerved to her right.

She slammed her kunai into them, one animal after the next. Her friends were so close. But there were too many of them.

A boom alerted her to the cloud of sand in the distance. She did not have to wonder about its source for too long. A giant hand appeared from the cloud, smashing through the herd. Then there was a foot, then a full-bodied giant emerged from the cloud. As it drew closer, she could tell it was made of... sand?

_Gaara-kun..._

The sandy giant drew enough attention from her so that she could progress further, remembering the spot she had heard Hinata.

"Over here," called another, and she was relieved to hear Kiba's voice. He sounded so close but she couldn't see him

"Go to the sea," yelled Sakura, struck with an idea. "Get over this sand dune and as close to the lighthouse as you can!"

"That's... gonna be tough."

"And mowing down every single animal is easier?"

"I hate it when you make sense!" he deadpanned, coaxing a smirk out of her as she silenced another boar. At least he was in good enough condition to be making jokes.

She made her way over the dune. It was odd, how easy it had been to streak passed the boars. She could have sworn at times it felt like they couldn't see her until she was attacking them, which made it too late for them by then. That was a stark contrast to Kiba – it seemed every animal on this beach was out to murder him.

The sand giant kicked across a sizable herd, bringing Kiba into view. He barely made any success toward the dune, it seemed. Hinata and Akamaru were doing their best to clear his path, but each group they took down was replaced by a fresh wave of boars.

Kiba stopped moving, gathering himself up before leaping into the air with a "Tunneling Fang!"

He sliced through the sea of boars, tumbling into the sand dune when he could no longer hold his rotation. Sakura made it to him before the boars did, the entire herd trained on him.

"Kiba," she half-choked, shaking his body. "Kiba, wake up! You have to get up!"

The boy managed to roll onto his side, face slowly splitting into a grin as he stared into her frantic gaze. "Who knew?"

Her eyebrows furrowed, doing a quick check of his head for injuries. He waved her off, snickering.

"All this time... and all it took was almost dying to finally get you to drop that honorific from my name."

Sakura suppressed a chuckle, scrubbing her eye with her shoulder. "It was that simple all along."

She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand, and the next moment she was on her feet fighting off more of those accursed creatures. "Go!"

"I can't leave you here with-"

"GO! I have a plan."

She didn't see him leave, but the way the boars started moving around her to charge up the dune told her he was making his way to the lighthouse. Then Hinata and Akamaru were at her side, fighting off more of them.

"Charge to the top," she told Hinata, a tusk missing her neck by a hair as she swerved away. "I need all the boars over this sand dune. Kiba already got a head start."

"Right."

Hinata struck two more boars with her fingers, the creatures collapsing instantly. So this was how she was managing to take down so many. Sakura noticed her Byakugan had still been inactive, meaning it couldn't have been Gentle Fist she was using. But whatever it was looked a lot like it.

One more Tunneling Fang from Akamaru, and the trio raced against the wave of boars. Sakura's legs burned as she finally made it to the top, pausing to find Kiba. The boars that had made it passed her surrounded him, and he waved his kunai threateningly as they drew close.

Sakura clapped her hands together, gathering chakra as she stormed down the dune with her companions. This next attack had to be a big one.

"Akamaru, defend Kiba," she commanded, stopping at the halfway point between Kiba and the dune. They were close enough to the ocean now. "Tell him to climb up the lighthouse. Hinata, keep those boars off me while I concentrate. And keep close when I say so."

They did as instructed, Sakura closing her eyes to resonate with the sea behind her. Her ragged breathing made it harder to keep her connection even, and it was a few minutes before it was finally ready. A quick check told her Kiba and Akamaru had just made it to the lighthouse.

"Get over here Hinata!" The kunoichi made her hand signs. "Water Style: Water Vortex!"

Just as before, a water spiral tornadoed toward the beach, this one even larger than the last. It slammed into the herd, snaking its way around the entire expanse of black before dragging them all to the sea in one, unforgiving blast of water.

Hinata was at her side, and Sakura focused to make a parting in the wave to spare them. She bit her lip, holding down as much control as she could muster. The beach exploded in guttural squeals and yelps as the boars were pulled to their deaths.

And then all was quiet.

Sakura glanced around the emptier beach, collapsing onto the sand. There were a fair number of boars remaining, and Hinata spared no time to leap into action, taking care of those remaining.

When she finally caught her breath, the two Leaf genin were before her, both looking worse for wear but in no life-threatening condition. Kiba was by far the worse off, Hinata already tending to his injuries. Akamaru, now in canine form, was on his stomach, tongue lolled onto the sand as he panted.

And then she felt another in their presence, expecting to see Gaara when she looked up. But it was...

"Shikamaru-san? No... _you_ were the sand-giant?"

The chuunin smirked, collapsing onto his behind in the sand. "There's more than one way to use a Shadow Possession jutsu, lemme tell yuh."

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

* * *

**A/N: A comment about Akamaru's Dynamic Marking. I didn't realize the technique involved him urinating on his foes until I looked it up the other day. All this time I thought he was drooling on them or something. Unfortunately, I'm too far in to change things now. So henceforth, Akamaru's Dynamic Marking involves him expelling an acidic substance from his mouth - a mixture of stomach acid and some saliva. It's divergent from canon, but not too farfetched yeah?  
**

**So PLEASE do not send me messages crucifying me for using Dynamic Marking incorrectly. If anything, now it makes more sense his marking stings his victims the way it does. In humans at least, urine pH can only go as low as about 5. Stomach pH is as low as 2 so there you go. More acid = more burning**

**Secondly, I've been ****writing more than expected lately. So please expect the next chapter in about two weeks. **

**Now, I've been trying a new technique where I have the characters explain what's happened instead of boringly narrating it all. I'd love to hear how this is working out.  
And for those who are interested, I've been using very specific language in describing Sakura's thoughts to hint at her feelings running deeper than what she was aware of. Like "licking" and "snake-like" - all references to that creepy villain we all love to hate. Just thought I'd mention it for those who'd want to know. Our heroine still has some deep-seated fears she's going to need to get through to continue being awesome.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	45. Beach Brawl - Part 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**POSTED****: 08/11/13**

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

_**Beach Brawl - Part 1**_

They rattled the door till it threatened to unhinge, the locks finally unclicking.

"What the devil's all this then?" croaked the old fisherman, allowing the light from inside the tower to flood the beach. A group of disheveled Leaf ninja were glaring at him. "You needed more stuff? Heh?"

"Sir, we need to speak to your son," said Shikamaru. "Right now before more of them get here."

The elderly men gave him a measured look. "Mmm, thought I heard the ruckus of a fight outside. Hey boy, get out here!"

A middle-aged man appeared in the doorway, eyes wide as he searched passed the ninja.

"The enemy's gone," Shikamaru waved off. "Listen, we need to know how you got your hands on the hide to make those blankets your dad gave us."

He hesitated in his confusion, glancing at his father. "It's like Oto-san told you. I hunted them, in the forest nearby. I was attacked and... managed to get the better of them."

Sakura trained her eyes onto his, feeling her body tense. She knew he was lying.

"I don't buy your story, bub," barked Kiba. "No way a scrawny guy like you coulda taken those things on."

"W-Well I did. I took my fishing knife and-"

The genin tsked. "We don't have time for this bull."

"Kiba," whispered Hinata, tapping his shoulder.

He waved her off, glaring at the man. The battle must have really taken a toll on his threshold for patience, which had always been low to begin with. "We all nearly got shredded to pieces fightin' off those boars. Boars who, by the way, seemed to be headed straight toward _you_. More are on their way and we gotta know all we can about them if we have any chance 'o stopping this attack for good. So tell us what really happened!"

"He just did," growled the old fisherman, pushing himself toward the door so he could become more visible. "Who do yuh think yuh are, bargin' into me home here and callin' me son a liar. And after we got yuh them supplies earlier tonight. Ungrateful scallywags, you ninja."

Sakura squeezed Kiba's shoulder with finality, beseeching him to let go of whatever comeback he was ready to fire. It would only make them more defensive. Meanwhile, with his father's admiring eye on him, it was impossible the son would tell them the truth. He had been lying through his teeth this entire time, Sakura knew, trying to save face and prove his worth. He hadn't killed any boars or ever been attacked by them, that much was certain. But as she realized this, she was struck with an idea.

"My sincerest apologies," said Sakura, bowing to the pair of men. "My friend is injured and very tired, and also very worried about the safety of this village and you. His emotions just got the better of him, I hope you can understand the stress we're under."

The fisherman folded his arms, looking appeased nonetheless. "Can't be expectin' a bunch of underling ninja to have as much a handle on things 's they should, I s'pose."

"We appreciate your patience." Sakura bowed again. She felt her teammates eyes on her back but was grateful they were humoring her, as they bowed behind her as well. She turned to the son. "Would it be alright if I asked you more about this boar encounter, sir. It would help us improve our tactics, hearing your story. You faced these boars all on your own?"

"I did," he nodded, his expression relaxing. She could feel this was the truth. "My father had fallen ill a couple weeks ago, and I went deep into the wilderness to gather some healing herbs." _Truth_. "Then this herd of black boars attacked me." _Lie_. "I had never seen anything like them." _Lie_.

She stuck her tongue to her cheek, fishing for her next question. "Do you go into the forest often? Where did you come across these boars?"

"I'm pretty good with plants, so I go to the forest a lot to find herbs for market. Never go too far though. The boars, I found them when I went really deep that day." _All true._

"And this deep area is the only place you've ever seen them?"

"Well yeah." _True._

"And when you did, they attacked you?"

"Yes." _Lie._

"Were you afraid when you saw them?"

He shifted on his feet, leaning against the doorframe. "I wouldn't say _afraid_... more like, surprised." _Lie._ So he wasn't in league with whoever created the creatures. But they didn't attack him either.

"You killed the boars you brought back to make those blankets?"

"Yes," he answered, eyebrows furrowing. "I... thought I said that already."

"I know some of these questions might seem repetitive," chimed Shikamaru. "It's important for us to be thorough. And talking about it in different ways usually helps jog a memory about other things. It's a drag, but we gotta do it."

Sakura had to stop herself from looking too pleased by Shikamaru's smooth assist. He must have already guessed what she was up to.

"So you killed these boars," she started, knowing this statement was true. But they hadn't attacked him. He wouldn't be strong or swift enough to do it even if he took them by surprise when they were sleeping. Which left one other possibility. "Did they seem ill?"

"They were in perfect health," he snipped, his eyes narrowing. "Listen, it's really late. Have I answered enough of your questions yet?"

"You've given me all the answers I need," answered Sakura truthfully. "Thank you."

Sakura, Shikamaru, Hinata, Kiba and Akamaru regrouped just outside the lighthouse.

"What was all that about, Sakura?" voiced Kiba. "He didn't tell us anything useful."

"Yeah he didn't," answered Shikamaru for her, "but that doesn't mean our walking human lie detector didn't learn something."

A smile decorated his face. "That's right, Sakura's superpower for lie-catching!"

She winced at the term 'superpower' but nodded anyway. Technically her ability wasn't foolproof. She would never forget the way Kagura had deceived her. And even Kin had found a way to mislead them without actually lying to her.

"He did kill the boars he spoke of, but they never attacked him. They were sick, probably on their deathbeds if he managed to kill more than one at a time. But he found them more than once. And always in the same deep area of the forest. That's the real story."

There was a pensive pause as this sunk in.

"What does this mean?" asked Hinata.

"A lot." Shikamaru dropped to his knees, forming a circle in his hands as he thought things through. "The village is outside the perimeter we marked as boar territory. As of now, I just thought it was a habitat thing that kept them away, but that wouldn't explain why they suddenly decided to step out their comfort zone and attack here."

"Then what was it that kept them out?" asked Kiba.

"Death."

The look Shikamaru gave her confirmed her answer, and Sakura was curious what else he thought.

"Hold up," started Kiba, "if they die when they leave their territory then how'd they survive way out here."

"I don't think they die when they leave," explained Shikamaru. "Not exactly. I think they originate somewhere in the center of the area my team mapped out as their territory. Some of them decide to migrate further than others, but even the most migratory ones hit a point they can't cross. Because by then they'd have reached the end of their lifespan, weaken or fall ill and die. It would explain why the fisherman's son would have seen them more than once – any time he'd go deep enough to reach their perimeter."

Kiba shook his head. "That's just... it's crazy. I've never heard of any species like that."

"That's because this isn't natural," answered Shikamaru, rising from his place on the ground. "Someone's controlling these things. It's difficult to tell how. There's an epicenter where they're all coming from... maybe some sort of chemical or something that normal boars get exposed to that changes them like this. It beefs 'em up, but kills them after a few days. That's why they're in such a centralized location. And whoever it was that created these things have managed to transport them over here."

Hinata suppressed a shudder, and it wasn't from the cold. "That would mean this person, whoever they are, has been here for months at least. Can you be so certain these creatures were created? It sounds bizarre, but perhaps they are an undiscovered species of some sort."

"I thought about that," started Shikamaru, "but remember what Kiba figured out after the battle just now. Why the boars were so dead-set on him and not you or Sakura?"

"_First I found it really weird, how animals as aggressive as those stupid pigs didn't fight amongst themselves, not even once. You don't usually find animals that do that. And then it clicked that they were treating Hinata and Sakura in almost the same way, unless you actually attacked them personally. And the thing you have in common is the boar-hide blankets – both of you have been using them, and I think the boars were able to pick up on it, pick up some scent off it that made you smell like them."_

"There's an untraceable scent on the boars that make it so they don't attack each other," repeated the bushy-haired chuunin. "It's like they were designed to be a fighting force, and work as a unit. But more than that, if you wanted to use them, all you'd have to do is wear the boar scent and boom... it'd make sure the boars would only attack your enemies and not you. It's just too perfect to be something you'd find naturally. They must have been engineered that way."

"This truly is crazy," echoed Hinata. "So very strange."

"Guess there's one thing left to do." Kiba motioned to the blanket Sakura had discarded earlier, wrapping himself and his pup in it. "Shikamaru, you best get under here too, man. We gotta be prepared if more of them attack."

"Shikamaru-san, why weren't you with Sasuke and the others?" asked Sakura, her thoughts on her teammates. She had been stifling her worry for them, but panic was threatening to overcome her once again, now that they had nothing to do but wait. She wished so badly that they were here now. That she at least knew they were all right. That they'd survived the first wave of boars.

Shikamaru scratched the back of his head, trying to get comfortable under the blanket with Kiba. "I can't move too fast with my leg bitten up like it is. After I left you guys, I was maybe halfway to the village when the boars attacked. It was weird, 'cause it looked like most of 'em were heading toward your area than the village. So I made a choice. And from the looks of things, it was good I decided to come here."

"We weren't in _that_ much trouble," said Kiba.

"Says the guy who was almost eaten alive by a bunch of overgrown bits of bacon. You sure you'll be alright with your casts half-broken like that?"

Kiba glanced at Hinata sheepishly. They had had this argument earlier. "I gotta be able to grab kunai don't I? Make hand signs. Besides, the fractures were more in my arms than my hands, and they're still wrapped up."

"Use still injures them," mumbled Hinata, eyes fixed away from them.

"We all should take some of these food pills too," chimed Shikamaru, pulling out a small sac and handing each of them a round black pill.

"The others need these too," said Sakura, rolling the pill between her fingers. "You should have gone to them, Shikamaru-san."

He sighed. "I knew you'd stress out about it. But my team hasn't had Sound ninja to deal with, just the boars. They were in better condition than you guys. Plus, Naruto and Sasuke are such powerhouses to begin with. And Chouji's tougher than he looks. I know they're fine without me. We gotta focus on the mission right now, and why the boars are attacking more than just the village."

"You mean why most of them made it all the way over here?" finished Kiba. "I thought that was just them tearin' up the place,"

"For all we know... it might not be."

* * *

Asuma withdrew another cigarette from his pouch, sticking it between his teeth before lighting it. The tip glowed to life as he inhaled, its smoky heat filling him against the chilly forest.

He watched Kakashi recall his ninken, Bisuke, yet again, reversing his summons two seconds later before taking up his Itcha Itcha Paradise again. "Still no news, huh," Asuma would say, like he'd been saying all evening.

But this time he kept watch on his partner instead, Kakashi's eye on his novel. "Not even you can read in the dark," muttered Asuma, puffing smoke.

Kakashi turned a page. "You've been burning through more of those today than you did when we started this mission yesterday," he observed. "If you don't ration properly, you'll run out."

Asuma chuckled as he took another puff. "Guess we're both stressed."

"We are shinobi," answered Kakashi simply.

"Meaning we don't get stressed?"

"Meaning we've been trained to manage our emotions."

"Spoken like an ANBU," said Asuma after a pause. "Except you're not ANBU anymore. You're a sensei, just like me. With students on a mission connected to one of the most dangerous ninja in the world."

"Naruto and Sasuke are well trained," maintained Kakashi, his gaze still on his book. "I have faith in their skills, and in our ability to back them up once we receive word to step in. You should do the same."

"I'll admit our boys are good, Kakashi, but they're out of their league when it comes to Orochimaru. You could barely stand up to him when you fought during the chuunin preliminaries. Kurenai told me all about it. For the Hokage to send them out on a mission like this..."

"You're too attached to your students to see this for what it is. His body is failing. Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama confirmed it with their own eyes. Thanks to the Sandaime, Orochimaru has never been more vulnerable than he is now."

"And that makes it alright to send Sasuke as bait to lure him out of hiding, does it? It's bureaucratic decisions like these I can't stand." Asuma dropped the cigarette butt to the ground, crushing its final flame with his foot. "My father wouldn't have wanted this."

The bearded man trudged to take a seat on the stump across Kakashi, retrieving his chakra blades from his pouch. "Any thoughts on Anko's report from this morning? 'Allies from the seas' couldn't have been more vague of her."

"Given her situation, it's a testament to her skills in espionage that she was able to get even that."

"You get so testy when it comes to that woman," quipped Asuma, the night masking his grin as he sharpened his blades. "I don't have the faintest idea why."

Kakashi shut his novel, giving a light stretch to the starry sky. "Every message she sends us puts her cover in jeopardy. Anko takes too many risks."

"Is that worry blossoming beneath those managed emotions of yours?"

"Only fact," sighed Kakashi. "I spent a great deal of time with her since the Third Shinobi War. She was put on my team to replace... I know how she operates. I know all that she's willing to risk and how easily she'll risk it."

"Her history with Orochimaru won't help at all with that."

Kakashi only nodded, knowing better than even Asuma how scarred Anko was from her time with the snake sannin, and his betrayal. She would never again trust anyone, even him, with her most fragile of emotions.

Not that he needed her to.

Since the very beginning, they decided that the matter of their... bedroom activities was a matter of convenience and physical comfort. She had certainly reminded him of that often enough over the years. The woman wanted nothing more from him, so he gave her just that. It suited him best, anyway...

"As for your other point," continued Kakashi, "it surprised me to hear Orochimaru will be getting help attacking that village."

"You don't think it might be ninja from the Water country," proposed Asuma. "He's already managed to manipulate one Great Ninja village. And heaven knows Kirigakure is far more unstable than the Sand village ever was."

"That's the worst scenario I could imagine, but I have a feeling these 'allies from the seas' will be coming from a more criminal source than any established ninja village."

"Well whoever they are, _I'll_ be there to cut 'em down." Asuma eyed his knuckle blades over the top of his nose, testing the points with his forefinger.

"Just as soon as we get word to move in." Kakashi dipped his finger in the bowl of his drying blood at his side, weaving his hand signs. "Being miles out of earshot from a mission we're backing up does complicate things."

"Ninja with super-hearing," jeered Asuma, as a tan-colored dog reappeared in an explosion of smoke before them.

"Well Bisuke, got anything for me this time?"

* * *

The second wave of boars was almost as bad as the first, blanketing the beach in black. Sakura and the others met them in stride, taking full advantage of the boar hides to mask them as targets while they attacked.

It was tiring and messy, but they were making their way through their overwhelming numbers. Sakura and Shikamaru avoided specialized jutsu to conserve their chakra, resorting to the quick and dirty approach of slitting throats as their means of attack. Hinata was sticking with her original method – a technique Sakura learnt Hinata had developed herself, something to do with stopping blood flow using pressure points. She couldn't get the specifics, but it made Hinata the most efficient at dispensing with the beasts.

But Kiba worried them. His hands were so mangled, he decided to hold his kunai between his teeth and charge at his foes on all fours, using his Ninja Art: Beast Mimicry. The ferocity of his movements rivaled that of the boars, but it did not quell Sakura's fears that he had been pushing himself passed what he should.

But they had no choice.

Even with the boar-hides disguising their scents from the beasts, they were still in overwhelming danger, and Sakura was reminded of this more than once. Like when a boar slammed into Shikamaru's injured leg, forcing him to roll along the sand to avoid getting crushed to death by hooves until Hinata was able to get to him. Or when Kiba's kunai was knocked out of his teeth, and he resorted to bashing skulls with his casts before finally finding his weapon. She was sure there were many more horrors to this battle her eyes had missed, her thoughts traveling momentarily to Naruto, Sasuke and Chouji who by now would be in the thick of their own tussle with the boars somewhere in the village.

Slower than they would have liked, the beach began to clear until the last of the beasts had met death.

Sakura flung her drenched kunai from her numbed hands, still feeling the quiver of metal in her bones. The chilly sea air tasted of iron.

"Company," panted Shikamaru, the group mirroring his guarded stance. Had the third wave arrived already?

"Dammit I can't smell a thing," grunted Kiba, squinting into the dark abyss. "But it looks like... people."

"Six people," stated Hinata, her Byakugan eyes relaxing to normal white. "I'm sorry... I couldn't hold on enough to discern who."

Akamaru groaned, wiggling out of Kiba's jacket where he'd been resting throughout the battle. Kiba muttered a curse. "He can smell Kin with 'em. Thought you said you left her tied up and unconscious in the forest."

"We did."

In an explosion of smoke, three ogres stormed onto the beach, shocking the Leaf ninja into action.

Only one of the grotesque creatures seemed to be heading their way, the other two splitting in the direction of the lighthouse.

"What the hell?" Kiba dove, scarcely missing the massive club that threatened to crush him. These giants were fast.

"We gotta take this guy out," commanded Shikamaru, weaving his hand signs. "Then take care of the other two before they do what I think they're doing." His shadow merged into the blackness of a sand dune, its shadow contorting into the shape of a man and the sand itself following suit. The ridge was soon replaced by a towering sand giant. Shikamaru swung and arm and the titan mirrored him, its fist colliding into the ogre before it could continue its assault on them.

"I can't keep this up forever," strained the chuunin, using his giant as a proxy as he continued to deal his blows. "You've got to kill it!"

With Kiba's help, Akamaru transformed into a Man Beast Clone, his body swirling in the air just as Kiba's was. "Fang Over Fang!"

The tornadoes of grey whirled directly to the ogre's neck, going for a quick kill. Despite being blindfolded, the creature could clearly sense what was coming, and it failed its fists at the pair. Shikamaru grasped its hands, planting the beast firmly in the line of fire.

A cloud-like specter spewed from the ogre's sewn mouth, streaking past the sand-giant like a worm before raking straight through one of the grey spirals. Akamaru fell out of the sky in a puff of smoke, his master's Tunneling Fang continuing on to the ogre until it excavated through half of its neck.

The beast collapsed to the ground in a shower of blood, Kiba tumbling onto the sand behind it.

"Akamaru!" wailed Kiba, scuttling through the sand on his knees till his hands found his pup. "Get up, buddy. Come on say something... _please_ say something." Whatever that ghost-like being had done, it left Akamaru unconscious. "But he's still alive," Kiba reminded himself, awkwardly trying to scoop his ninken into his arms.

"Here," offered Hinata, helping her teammate place the pup securely inside his jacket. "Just please be careful or you'll _both_ be injured."

"What next?" steeled Kiba, facing the two chuunin. "What's the plan?"

"The two ogres are our priority right now," said Shikamaru, his hold still on his sand-giant. "I had a feeling the boars were out here for a reason. Whoever's doing this isn't interested in the village. It's the lighthouse they're after, and those ugly giants went ahead to finish the job. We've got to stop 'em before-"

As quick as a mousetrap, ropes ensnared the Leaf ninja, wounding and tightening around them as if of their own accord. It was unyielding as steel as Sakura pulled, collapsing in a heap along with her fellow ninja. All was quiet, and she could hear a distant boom – the ogres beating at the lighthouse, she guessed. And faintly in the backdrop there was... a flute?

Sand fled beneath her body as she was yanked up the beach, her stomach pinching when she realized she was the only one among her team being hauled. Was this...?

Just as suddenly, the tension in her bindings relaxed and snaked away from her body. She jerked to her feet, brushing off the sticky webs from her arms. _...Webs?_

She saw Hinata, free and striking at the strings of silk binding the others, with her palms. Her Byakugan was active, so it had to be Gentle Fist she was using that managed to cut these webs.

Sakura suppressed a gasp as she looked up, the six ninja Hinata had sensed coming into full view under the moonlight. Four she didn't know, but were dressed in the same uniform – a tan tunic with a purple rope tied at the waist. But the other two...

"Guess Zaku really is out here after all," croaked Kiba.

"And Kin," said Shikamaru. "Though they roughed her up some by the looks of her. A punishment for needing saving I guess. Or failing to do what she needed to without help." His eyes flashed to Sakura's knowingly before sizing up their newest opponents.

"We-we don't stand a chance," gulped Sakura, forcing the chuunin's eyes to hers. She knew what needed to be done, and he read the stony look she gave him. He had realized by now that what the Sound wanted was standing right in front of him. It made for excellent collateral.

"We're fighting through this," was all he said, pulling away from her. "Together or not at all." His tone broached no further argument.

She was grateful to Shikamaru for his courage, but terrified for what was to come. This fight surely meant their deaths. Not hers, she thought bitterly. Her fate would be much worse than even death. And without needing more thought, she made her decision. She would let herself die in this battle before ever letting Orochimaru have her.

The four Leaf ninja shared a glance before darting forward, armed and determined. A man with orange hair ran to meet them, and fury surged in Sakura. They thought they only needed one to finish them, did they?

Shuriken flew from her hands, the large man swatting them like flies before plunging his hands into the sand. He seemed to be reaching for something there, and in the next moment, he was lifting a boulder the size of a building over his head.

"Earth Style: Sphere of Graves."

The Leaf-nin raced out of the way, forced to split up as the monstrous boulder hurtled across the beach, demolishing Shikamaru's sand-giant before crashing into the sea behind them. Tongues of water sprang into the air on impact, and Sakura saw an opportunity.

She made her hand signs. "Water Style: Water Vortex!"

A gigantic wave rushed upon the Sound ninja, Sakura's last-ditch effort to wipe them all out in one blow.

But nothing was ever that simple.

A colossal plate of steel rose from the ground in a cloud of smoke, meeting the immense pressure with unyielding ferocity, until the entire wave subsided in an explosion of water.

The iron gate disappeared at the will of its summoner, a grey-haired Sound ninja. "Rashomon is one of our greatest defenses for Orochimaru-sama. You'll need far more than that to even dent it."

Sakura held her knees, fighting for breath before collapsing, squeezing the sand in her fists. Most of the chakra she had been saving was spent into that attack, only to be rendered useless. _She_ was useless now. Helpless.

The flute kept playing in the backdrop of the chaos, high pitched and sickly as the melody pranced across the airways, mocking them. A red-haired woman had been playing it, and given some other circumstance it might have actually been soothing.

The music soon became punctuated though, jarring and even more unpleasant. Remembering these were Sound ninja, Sakura clapped her hands in her ears, knowing these tunes could not be harmless ones. But then she saw the Sound kunoichi flail her instrument in her hands, yelling before hurling it across the beach.

"Bugs," she bellowed. "A swarm of them, gunking up the airways. Which one of you rats did this?"

In the next second, an iron ball landed in the center of their fold before exploding in a shower of weapons and smoke. The Sound ninja scattered, leaving an opening for these newcomers to swoop through.

Before each Leaf ninja stood another, a resolute barrier against the dispersed Sound ninja. Relief flooded her as she marked them each off – Shino with Kiba, Neji with Hinata, Tenten and Shikamaru, and standing before her, a blonde.

"Ino-san?"

The kunoichi smirked over her shoulder. "For the last time, it's _Ino_. Say it with me now."

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

* * *

**A/N: Hate to leave everyone with a cliffhanger, but this wil most likely be my last update for the summer. I'll try to update again some time this Fall, but until then! Hope everyone's had an awesome summer!**


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